Dyke of Konoha
by EspressoEmpress
Summary: What if the classic trio had one of its members replaced? This is Naruto without Sakura - instead, Team 7 has a different kind of girl. No love triangle. No smut. No pauses in fights for exposition. This is a story of BrOTPs, streamlined canon, and a young girl's sexuality. OC. Rated M for language. Hika has the mouth of a ninja-sailor.
1. Survival Test

Now, the worst way to start a story is to say "this all happened because". It's condescending and lacks creativity. It's a cop-out. Stories should be about the story, not about spelling things out for your audience.

That being said, I don't think I can start mine any other way. I've never been very good at beginnings.

This all happened because I don't like Sakura. She's the token _girl_ of the trio, easily the least important of the three - ignoring all the development she gets 300+ chapters in (because any development at that point isn't worth waiting for). I don't hate her; I was always "meh" about her.

So, there's the context. Let me explain the title. This is Naruto without Sakura - she still exists in the village, she just isn't on Squad 7, or really any team. Instead, there's a different girl on Squad 7. I won't put up any pretense: she's basically me. My self-insert character. Hika Korin - a Leaf shinobi without much of a heritage.

Hika is basically me if I had grown up in Konoha. You might think this sounds a little conceited. You'd be right.

Being me, Hika is also gay. I wrote this story to explore how Konoha, as a reflection of modern Japan's values and principles, would treat her, and how it would affect the general storyline of the series.

Also, fair warning, this is a BrOTP story. There is no smut, and there is very limited romance (what little there is comes later). It is about wholesome, healthy friendships that develop, get brutalized, and eventually heal. Enjoy.

P.S. Because I'm lazy, it will closely follow canon in the beginning. The second part, Shippuden, will involve a more realistic view of the Akatsuki and will likely split from the canon. Provided I get enough feedback and can be bothered to write it, it'll become evident that this fic is more of a prequel than a one-shot. As a result, I might see fit to skip around in the story to expedite matters.

And now, just a smidge of background.

* * *

"Inoue," I screamed, livid and inches from his face, "you're a damned coward." Inoue was terrified of me, and for once, it didn't bug me.

"We - we never would've passed," he stammered out, giving me the look that I hated, his idiotic "puppy dog" face. As if that would make me go easy on him.

"You don't know that! You didn't give us a chance! You didn't believe we could do it!" I shouted, waving my arms around. I was pretty sure I was spitting at that point.

"He was worried about the team," Ato stepped in, putting an unwelcome hand on my shoulder. I shook it off.

"If he hadn't raised his hand, we would still be in there. We could've failed. And we would've been stuck as genin for the rest of our lives," Ato reasoned in his insufferable "reasonable" voice. They didn't get it. Inoue didn't have the… the _spark_.

"You guys will never be chunin," I spat at them, "You don't have the guts."

"Shinobi don't need guts," Ato said, "We need smarts. We need to know when to back down. It's all about picking the right fights."

"There's a difference between knowing when to back down and being a coward." He didn't trust me - even worse, he thought he'd done me a favor. If he hadn't raised his hand, we'd have had to bear the shame equally - now, it was all on him. I almost felt sorry as I sucker punched him in the gut.

I turned my back as Ato fussed and chastised me. I was sick of his sanctimonious "do what's right for the team" attitude. I was sick of Inoue trying to justify his fear by pretending he was selfless instead of spineless.

I walked away right then, went right to my sensei and asked for a transfer.

* * *

"He's late."

Naruto had half his body out of the room, head whipping back and forth in a blur of yellow.

"Take a chill pill, Naruto," I said, even as he brought over a stool and wedged an eraser in the door, "That kinda thing can get you in trouble." _And us._

"That's what he gets for being late," he jumped down, "Surprise!"

I smirked. I liked pranks - well, I liked pulling them. Not so much getting them. I wasn't sure if our sensei had a sense of humor, so I was a little worried. But then, everyone could stand to loosen up a bit. One guy in particular…

"Our teacher's a jonin, an elite ninja. You really think he'd fall for something like that?" Sasuke didn't seem capable of losing the attitude.

A hand grabbed the door and pushed it open. The eraser dropped. It bounced off a silver head and fell to the ground. The guy, presumably our new sensei, stooped to pick it up, then straightened. I almost laughed. I couldn't see three-fourths of his face. His black eye looked disinterestedly at the eraser.

"Hm, how can I put this?" he put a hand to his chin, "My first impression of this group - you're a bunch of idiots."

My stomach took a dive.

"Oh well," I grimaced. Of course, the guy had let it hit him. He was pretty aloof; not very punctual. He was powerful. Probably.

"Let's take this outside."

* * *

"I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate… I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future… never really thought about it. As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies."

It was all I could do to not start laughing. I settled for a snort.

"Well, at least we know your name," I said sarcastically.

"Okay then, you first," he replied, and my heart skipped a beat. This was the first time a jonin had ever addressed me so casually. I cleared my throat a little to hide my distress. For a split second I forgot how to speak.

"I'm Hika Korin," I said, "I like…"

I swallowed hard; maybe it wasn't safe to divulge that yet. I changed my answer.

"I like sitting under the stars at night. I hate the summer heat. My dream for the future… to be a jonin, I guess. My hobbies… writing and drawing."

Kakashi's eye bored into mine. He gave me a merciful nod, and for a second he didn't look tired.

"Alright, you next."

"Believe it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I like instant ramen in a cup, but I hate the three minutes you have to wait for the water to heat up. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them. And my dream is: to be the greatest Hokage! Then everyone in the village will have to stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody - somebody important!"

I smiled and pat him on the back. He gave me a wide grin and fixed his headband.

"Alright, next."

I sniffed.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and destroy a certain someone."

The silence that followed his melodramatic statement was tangible. I ran a hand through my brown-blond hair. Sasuke was an emo twerp and a drama queen, but there was something about his attitude that tempered my irritation. It was a little too real, too serious to be an idle boast; Naruto was the same. They were both so honest because they knew who they were. Suddenly I felt stupid for saying that I wanted to be a jonin. I felt like I wasn't aiming high enough.

"Good. You're each unique and you have your own ideas. Meet back here tomorrow for your first mission."

_I guess our sharing session is over._

"What are we going to do?" I asked. Kakashi pondered that for a moment. He crossed his arms, looked down.

"It's something that the four of us will do together."

"So - what kind of mission is it going to be?" Naruto asked.

_I just asked that. Pay attention._

Kakashi started to laugh, which was creepy.

"Uh, sensei, when you laugh at a normal question like that, it's not very reassuring." I wasn't embarrassed that I sounded nervous.

"Sorry," he said, clearly not sorry, "It's a survival exercise. But see, if I tell you any more than that, you won't like it."

"Tell us," Naruto whined. Suddenly I really didn't want to know; I'd agonize over it all night and wouldn't get any sleep.

"Of the 27 graduates who just came here, only nine will be accepted as genin. The others will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make-it or break-it pass/fail test and the chance that you'll fail is at _least _66 percent."

He let that hang in the air for a moment while Naruto started to strangle himself. I was confused.

"See? Didn't I tell you you wouldn't like it?"

"But what was that graduation exam even for?!" Naruto shouted. It was disrespectful, but I could relate. I rose a hand to add to Naruto's outburst.

"Also, sensei, I'm already a genin," I said, cautious of the rather large minefield I was walking into, "What'll happen to me?" The obvious question under that was: _If I fail, will I be flushed?_

"Yes, Urume-sensei did mention that when he arranged your transfer. You passed his test, but then, I'm not anything like Urume-sensei. You're in the same boat as these two- you fail, you start over at the academy."

I couldn't stop a "shit" from escaping my mouth as the air started to force itself down on my ears. I could've sworn Kakashi cracked a smile at my curse.

"As for the exam, that was just to filter out the hopeless cases. We put it there to judge which students might become genin - or not."

Naruto was distraught. Sasuke sat stoic as usual, but I saw an extra wrinkle in his forehead. As for me… I'd heard from Urume-sensei that Kakashi was tough, but fair; he failed a lot of kids, and that was par for the course. Not everyone is cut out to be a genin. But it raised a sticky question for me: was I really good enough to be a genin? I had been good enough for Urume-sensei, but then Kakashi said he wasn't anything like Urume-sensei. He'd made that clear already. If Urume-sensei's methods were orderly and kind, Kakashi's were his polar opposite. If I passed _his_ test, would I somehow be a _better_ genin than before? I didn't know. I liked my new team so far (well, I didn't hate them at least), and I didn't want to be the only fourteen-year-old academy student in my class.

"Oh and, tomorrow? You'd better skip breakfast, otherwise… you'll puke."

Kakashi went up in a puff of smoke. I'd been so distracted that I jumped and gave a little gasp.

"He split," I said, indignant, "The sneaky bastard." Naruto nodded in agreement. I realized Sasuke had vanished along with our sensei.

"And the twerp's gone too."

Naruto looked sick all of a sudden. I got the impression he didn't know how to talk to a girl.

"Hey, Hika?" he asked, "You're a genin?" I nodded. He set his face into a fierce smile.

"That's so cool! I bet you know all sorts of jutsu! Well, do you?"

"Well, yeah; basic stuff, you know. Clones. Transformation. I'm good with paper bombs."

His eyes glimmered at me and I felt self-conscious.

"But I can't throw shurikan for shit, so I'm not much of a distance fighter."

"Oh so you go up close and personal - real hand-to-hand combat, huh? Like super-taijutsu?"

"I guess," I said, running my hand through my hair. I adjusted my headband, "I'm pretty worried about tomorrow, though; I don't want to fail."

Naruto looked down, and for a second I thought I'd said something wrong, but then he looked up.

"I don't either. Going back to the academy would be awful. So, let's not fail!"

* * *

The next morning, the image of Naruto's fearless smile still hovered in front of me, like a shield. I rolled out of bed and opened my closet. I pulled out a navy blue one-piece and stuck my feet through the legs. I pulled it over my shoulders. I looked at myself in the mirror, frowned, and whipped out a lime green scarf. I tied it around my waist. It brought out my eyes. I smiled and left the house.

Sasuke was already at the training ground when I got there, statuesque and brooding as usual. I stood, back to him, and took a granola bar from my knapsack.

"He told us not to eat breakfast," Sasuke said quietly. Taken aback by his sudden statement, I continued eating.

"This isn't breakfast," I replied coolly, "It's a snack. I have another one; you're welcome to it."

"Ch," came his gruff response. I ate the first one in silence and pocketed the second. Naruto staggered into the clearing a minute later, still half asleep, a pearl of drool dribbling down his chin.

"G'morning sunshine," I said, hands tucked in my pockets.

"Mornin'," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

It was stupid to think that Kakashi would be on time, but I don't judge people based on first impressions. He seriously disappointed me on his second impression, though. We got there at five in the damn morning. He got there at _nine_ in the goddamn, fucking, shitting morning.

"About damn time," I said.

"We've been waiting for hours!" Naruto shouted.

"Sorry I'm late, a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way," he said. He made a show of being abashed that I didn't believe for a millisecond.

After our anger subsided, Kakashi gave us the rundown on our so-called "mission". He set up a timer and jingled a pair of bells in front of us.

"Your task is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it." I doubted it would be simple at all.

"If you can't get a bell by noon, you'll go without lunch. You'll be tied to that post and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you."

I was honestly curious about what his face looked like under the mask, but I decided it wasn't worth being demoted. Sasuke and I nodded.

"Wait, but, why are there only two bells? There are three of us," Naruto said.

"So glad you can count, Naruto. See, two bells ensures at least one of you will be tied to the post and ultimately fail the mission. That one goes back to the academy." My mouth dropped open.

"You're pitting us against each other," I said indignantly. Kakashi just looked at me.

"Ninja each have to be efficient on their own. You should expect to have to defeat someone like me on every mission. How much do you three value your futures as ninja?"

Kakashi let the question hang in the air, like a fly I really wanted to smack. Because he had a point; when push came to shove, all that really mattered were our own lives. How we lived them was up to us, and no one else.

"You can use any techniques or weapons, including shurikan. If you aren't prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."

I didn't doubt that I could take a bell, under the right circumstances, it just didn't seem dangerous enough. I didn't know if I could summon 100 percent of my effort against my new sensei, who seemed so blase about the whole thing; also, moment of total honesty, I didn't believe he could beat us.

"Well that shouldn't be too hard, especially since you couldn't even dodge that eraser," Naruto laughed.

"Class clowns are usually the weakest link. You can safely ignore them. Lowest scores. Losers. You can begin when I say 'start'."

I felt a pang of sympathetic anger for Naruto, and I was about to unpack my opinions on verbal abuse when the blot of orange in my peripheral vision rushed at Kakashi, kunai in hand.

"I'm going to crush you!"

What happened next was a blur of motion, a flicker so quick my eyes strained to catch it.

Our sensei caught Naruto's wrist and now stood behind him, having twisted his arm to aim the kunai at the back of Naruto's own neck. They were perfectly still, and the next words Kakashi spoke were so serious I felt my body racked with chills,

"Don't be in such a hurry. I didn't say 'start' yet."

A dangerous edge hummed in his voice, which sounded almost playful when mixed with his trademark nonchalance. I knew with unsettling certainty that he wasn't messing around. He hid his advantage under a mask of casualness, and invited his opponents to become overconfident. It had worked - at least, it had on me. He was a jonin, that couldn't be disputed.

"But," he continued, drawing out the pause for dramatic effect, "you came at me with the full intent of destroying me, so, what can I say? I'm actually starting to like you guys."

I huffed out a chuckle; maybe he'd have more trouble failing us, now that we were growing on him. Kakashi released Naruto, who had a deep frown in his eyebrows.

"The test will begin on the word 'start'. Ready?" he said, and my heart lurched downward, "_Start!_"

I bolted into the trees, head and heart pounding in unison like a Taiko ceremony. My vision frayed at the edges and focused to a single point, like I was flying low down a narrow corridor. I leapt over a bush and landed hard on my feet. The impact jarred my jaw. I stilled, hand over my mouth, certain that my pulse could be heard from miles away. He'd find me sitting on my ass, cramping up my muscles while sucking my thumb in the fetal position.

My mouth felt dry. I tried not to think about how much I was sweating; I strained to remember if I'd put on deodorant that morning. If I hadn't, he would find me because I stank; if I had, he'd find me because I smelled like Lotus and Vanilla Bean Blossom. I breathed deep and slow through my fingers, eyes wide and tearing, ears perked. I jumped with every leaf twitch, every wisp of wind, every creak of bowing tree, anything that bore even a shadow of a resemblance to a ninja's footstep. A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead. I silently prayed that he would go after Sasuke first. Not very sportsmanlike, but then, Sasuke was no prize in that department either. I put my free hand on my shurikan holster, more out of comfort than as a precaution. I had 'terrible coordination with projectiles', according to Urume-sensei, and Kakashi was a jonin. Shurikan wouldn't help me here.

"Ninja must learn to conceal their movements and hide effectively," Kakashi mused loudly in the clearing. I twisted my head, carefully, slowly, painfully around to peer through the leaves. Kakashi's eyes drifted over me like a sifting veil; either he hadn't seen me, or he had and respected that I'd picked a decent hiding spot. I knew it was the latter, but my mind held onto the first option in its frenzied state. Maybe, just maybe, he hadn't seen me and I was safe for now.

* * *

Naruto was lucky I liked him, or I'd have thought he acted like a real dumbass for challenging Kakashi to a mano-a-mano melee. I don't know what I expected - actually, I lie, I expected him to lose, but that wasn't the point; he did lose, thanks to a well-placed substitution jutsu, and a taijutsu technique that probably qualified as sexual assault. But it surprised me that he lasted as long as he did; his Shadow Clone jutsu impressed me - I could only make two, three tops - and he had a streak of blind recklessness that I wished I could emulate (unfortunately, basic common sense and social etiquette bound me to forever act polite and courteous to the people I murdered).

That being said, I did do a little facepalm when Naruto went for that bell. I saw the trap coming. I staved off laughter as his foot was snapped up and he bounced around comically, dangling from the tree like a very orange, very angry banana.

"Think before you use a jutsu," Kakashi said wearily, stooping to pick up the bell, "or your opponent might use it against you. Oh and also, if the bait is obvious, don't take it."

"I - get - it," came Naruto's disjointed cries as he bounced up and down on the rope.

"I'm telling you this because you don't get it. You think you get it, which is not the same as actually getting it. Get it?"

"When did this turn into a sit-com?" I muttered before I could reign in the treacherous words. Kakashi's head turned, and for a horrifying second I thought he'd heard me, when I realized he'd turned right into a barrage of kunai and shurikan. _Sasuke._ Sasuke had seen that Naruto had distracted him and taken advantage of it. I'd have applauded him if Kakashi hadn't gone up in smoke and left a log in his place. Knowing that I was better off safe than sorry, I decided to change venues.

I whipped my head back around to find that my personal space bubble had been invaded by another presence - I felt my heart physically drop several inches as I processed (embarrassingly slowly) that sensei's face was only inches from my own. I felt another burst of adrenaline shoot into my chest as I made a very un-ninja-like sound along the lines of, "GAAGZHIT", and I dove headfirst out of the bush, into the clearing, and somersaulted into a fighting stance. I was hyper-aware of the twitching tendons in my thighs, my biceps, my eyelids. I ground my teeth. Kakashi emerged from the forest's threshold, book in left hand, right hand in pocket.

He would never attack first. He didn't need to, not when we were in the time crunch. I swallowed hard. I'd have to do it. I'd have to throw the first punch. After that, I told myself, it'd be smooth sailing. Either I'd get a bell, or he'd take me down painlessly. I hoped.

I inhaled through my nose, filled my lungs, and exhaled, bringing my arms up and down as I did so. I felt my cheeks flush. Suddenly I was onstage, performing in front of an audience whose eyes were held captive by - well, "smut" is the _delicate_ term. I was less enthralling than smut. My future, to him, appeared less important than a pervert's words in a 10 cent novella. So I did what I always did when I was frustrated and crushed by hopelessness.

I shut my eyes and punched.

* * *

**EDIT: Title has changed, and foreword has been adapted to fit.**


	2. Can it, Kakashi!

Urume-sensei used to tell me that it was ridiculous - just _stupid_ to fight with my eyes closed. That stopped the first time I pinned him without opening them. It was my way of raising the stakes on my own terms. The world wasn't going to accommodate me, and my fear wouldn't leave with some desperate hope.

Since Kakashi had given me a handicap by keeping one hand on his book, I evened the odds. I shut my eyes. I wouldn't let him insult me, not without doing the same. Humiliation is a double-edged sword.

So. My blind punch took him off guard. He blocked it with his palm and grunted in surprise. I felt my spirits rise a little as I twisted and aimed my other fist down - possibly toward his gut. I threw and collided with his knee. Knowing I'd broken my knuckle, I hissed in pain and shifted my weight to my back foot. I put my front foot on his stomach and pushed. We slid apart, sandals sliding over grit. I heard the bells jingle.

I sunk to one knee and caressed my hand, now warm and tingling- it'd go numb in a minute. My eyes were still shut, not that they'd be much use to me now - they were watering. A sob was coming on. I breathed. Once. Twice -

"Why do you have your eyes closed?" Kakashi asked. I could hear him about twenty paces away.

"That book," I snarled. I could _hear_ his eyebrows go up.

"If you're gonna read, I'm gonna shut my eyes - that's fair, right?" I spat. I drew air in sputtering stops and starts; the pain spread up my arm, like it was slowly sinking into boiling water. I stood.

"Not really," Kakashi replied, "You're not quite up to my level yet, I'm afraid. If you're looking for fair, well-"

"-I came to the wrong place?" I interrupted, "Good one, sensei, I've never heard that one before."

I could chock that comment up to pain-induced delirium later. His silence egged me on.

"I mean, people have been saying that forever. "Life isn't fair." How many times have _you_ heard it?" I accused, only half meaning it. I rambled on,

"Did you even stop to think how insulting it is - to be upstaged by a fucking - by "Icha Icha"? Like - like knowing all that matters to you is a damned erotic novel? I guess our futures are so unimportant that you can't be bothered to care."

I knew it was a strategy, of course - that he did all he could to provoke us into attacking. And I knew that we passed or failed on our own, and he took the place of the messenger. But right then, I seethed, and it pumped me up. I really wanted to shoot that messenger.

I snapped my pack open and pulled out my boxing tape. My hand shook beyond my control now. I was seized by a sudden fear that Kakashi had left; this fear was silenced when his voice, strangely quiet, said,

"Hika, I'm not patronizing you. I'm using a tactic. In a situation like this, you can't afford to feel victimized, or it'll cloud your judgment."

That made my eyes snap open. I stood there in stoic shock for a good ten seconds.

"You know, it's funny how when my mom says that, it doesn't sink in, but when you say it, suddenly…" I trailed off. I wiped my tears with my good hand.

"I never liked crying," I muttered, which seemed like a _non sequitur_, but Kakashi let it pass. I brought the tape around my index finger and came very close to screaming when I felt a piece of bone move, detached, inside my skin. I wrapped several times, bit the tape, and started on my other hand.

"You should've done that beforehand," he said wryly. I agreed with him. I should've put on boxing tape _before_ punching my sensei in the kneecap. It wasn't that I had too much pride and thought I could take him down with a bare-knuckle brawl; I expected him to go easy on us, to show some restraint, but clearly he wanted us to prove how strong we were. We wouldn't give 110 percent if Kakashi went easy on us.

To my surprise, he put away his book.

My shoulders slumped. The adrenaline seeped out of my bloodstream. I sighed and, despite myself, launched a punch with my unsullied hand. A tired punch was better than no punch. Right?

I hit air. It had a certain irony; now that I fought with my eyes open, I couldn't hit him. He'd vanished. One second he'd been there, the next he had gone, not even a halfhearted puff of smoke. I spun around ungracefully, looking for the familiar sprout of silver hair to no avail.

"Down here," came a muffled voice, as a hand burst from the ground, wrapped around my ankle and pulled me under. In a flurry of dust and gravel he buried me from the neck down - in the ground. Kakashi squatted on the surface in front of me. I squirmed and wriggled my body, but I was well-stuck.

"Earth-style: Headhunter Jutsu. Can't move, huh? That was ninjutsu, the third shinobi battle skill," he said, dripping with so much smug I could've wrung him out like a dishtowel and filled up a bucket.

"You were talking about "fair" just a second ago," I said, failing to make air-quotes. I pointed a glare at him.

"Ninjutsu _is_ fair in ninja battles, last time I checked," he said, taking out his book again.

"Urume-sensei was right to transfer you; your squad didn't work well together. But I can't see this one being much better for you," he said. As he walked away, I had an epiphany.

"Holy shit- YOU BASTARD!" I screamed, unable to contain my rage. Kakashi didn't turn back. I don't think he even blinked.

"That's the point, isn't it?" I said, quieter this time, "I get it."

I heard a distinct, irritating ringing, and I knew we'd all lost. My heart skipped.

"No!" I had just figured it out, the point of the exercise; I wouldn't have if Kakashi hadn't dropped the hint, but I was still more enlightened than my teammates.

Footsteps approached my position and I twisted my head around - a surprised Sasuke. He stopped.

"Kakashi?"

"Headhunter jutsu," I explained, and his face cleared, "Did you hear the timer go off?"

"Yeah. You didn't get a bell?"

I shook my head, surprised that he asked. I didn't think he held my abilities in such high esteem.

"Me neither," he said, looking down, nose wrinkling in disgust.

"Hey, could you get me out?" I pressed. Not that I didn't feel like bonding with Sasuke by being broody, but I didn't feel like spending the rest of the day trapped in a hole in the ground. He obliged and dug me out. Exchanging meaningful looks, we silently decided to trudge back to the posts, bearing the weight of failure around our shoulders as we walked.

* * *

Naruto was tied up already. The rumbling of his stomach greeted our approach and we sat down on either side of him. We were facing a disappointed jonin and, behind him, a large, obsidian stone.

"Sorry, Naruto," I said. The poor guy had already exhausted himself by spending chakra on shadow clones, and he hadn't eaten anything today. I still had a granola bar in my pack, and maybe-

"Stomach's growling, huh?" Kakashi said, "That's too bad."

I scowled, sick of his attitude. A sensei wasn't supposed to act like this. They were supposed to care about their students, encourage them to succeed, not discourage them from failing. Failing was a good and healthy necessity of life, but Kakashi made me feel ashamed for not getting a bell.

"So, I've decided that I won't send any of you back to the academy."

In the pause that followed, precisely three things happened at once: 1. I realized Kakashi's manner of speaking was way too uncharacteristically cheerful, so this meant bad news. 2. Naruto started to celebrate and struggle against his bindings. 3. I glanced at Sasuke and blinked twice. A signal in case this turned out to be a trap.

"So that means all three of us - I mean, all three of us -"

"Yes," Kakashi said, "All three of you are being dropped from the program. _Permanently_."

I'd seen it coming, at least a little bit, but poor Naruto was taken so off-guard I felt genuine hatred for Kakashi.

"But - but why?" Naruto cried.

"Because you don't think like ninja. You think like little kids - like brats."

Sasuke, usually the level-headed one, apparently didn't take too well to being called a brat and took the chance to charge. I didn't know what he planned to accomplish, but if it was "get pinned by Kakashi in the most humiliating way possible", he did a bang up job. Kakashi took him down in half a second and rested his foot on Sasuke's head.

"_You _don't know what it means to be a ninja - you think it's all a game, don't you?" I considered an attack right then, because Sasuke occupied his attention, but I rethought that strategy when I realized Kakashi's mood had shifted. Suddenly his tone carried a biting hostility, like we'd gotten on his last nerve. He'd shed his casual outer layer only to reveal he really did care, not about us, but about the lesson he was trying to teach us. I felt intensely proud that I understood why he was so pissed off, and also embarrassed that I hadn't thought of it sooner.

"Why do you think we put you on squads? Do you stop to think about that for one moment?" he asked, and it sounded like he said it through gritted teeth. I mustered up some scraps of courage in my stomach.

"Yeah," I said quietly, and his eye rolled to me, "The goal - we had to work together, right? And - well, we failed pretty badly." Kakashi looked a little surprised beneath the annoyance.

"No student I ever tested could grasp that concept," he said, "To work as a group, as one cohesive whole, should be a shinobi's first instinct. It's so basic. If you can't understand teamwork, you'll never cut it as a ninja. It's one thing to know it, but to use it effectively is another thing entirely.

"Naruto," Kakashi said, like he was accusing a criminal, "you do everything on your own. Everything. Even if it means hurting the team, you have to be the best."

He turned to me, and my chest went cold.

"Hika. You let your fear and pride cloud your judgment. If you hadn't tried to "insult" me by closing your eyes, you wouldn't be sitting there with a broken hand."

_Oh yeah…_ I looked down. I hadn't noticed the growing discomfort of the injury - it had swelled inside the bandage, and now it was impossible to ignore.

"By all means, insult your opponent if it gives you the upper hand, but don't do it because you feel belittled."

I took his words to heart like a dagger in the chest, but he couldn't destroy the small shred of pleasure I'd gained from getting the mission goal right.

"And Sasuke. You thought the others were so far beneath you that they weren't worth your time. You were so arrogant that, even though you can do an adequate fireball jutsu, you still couldn't beat me. Do you guys get it yet?" he asked us all, "Do you see how, if you'd all been working together, you might have been able to beat me?"

"Even though you're a jonin," I said.

"Even though I'm a jonin."

"But then, why two bells?" I asked, "Even if we'd beaten you and taken the bells, only two of us would've passed."

"Exactly. I wanted to see if you could put your individual goals aside for the good of the team." I vaguely remembered the term "superordinate goal" from a Psych class.

Kakashi snapped open his pack.

"If a team can't work out its differences, people get distracted; they move a little slower, or they use the wrong technique at the wrong time; the team fails and someone winds up dead. For example," he twirled a kunai around his finger, "Hika, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!"

I stiffened with fear, but after a second Kakashi resumed speaking,

"That's how it is. You're on a mission, the enemy takes a hostage, and you have to make an impossible choice."

He let Sasuke up and turned his back to us. He walked to the black stone, shaped like a prism on its side. Names were etched in its surface. Instantly, I knew-

"On every mission, your life is on the line. Did you look at this stone? The names engraved in it?" He spoke deliberately, and his bitterness made a wave of sadness wash over me. "These are the names of our village's greatest heroes."

"That's it that's it that's it!" Naruto shouted. For once, I didn't find his boisterous attitude endearing.

"I've decided I'm gonna have my name engraved on that stone! I'm not going to live and die for nothing like a dog! I'm gonna be a hero!"

Kakashi turned his head a little. I didn't have the heart to say what had to be said. I stared at the grass.

"They are a special kind of ninja," Kakashi said, "They're all KIA."

"Oh that sounds cool!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Naruto," I said. I kept my voice low and eyes angled downward. "They were Killed In Action. It's a memorial stone."

Kakashi bowed his head.

"They gave their lives for the village," I said.

"The names of my closest friends are written here." Kakashi brought a hand to his headband, a gesture I didn't fully understand.

Naruto realized his mistake and his face twisted with regret, but I didn't look at him. Kakashi stood still as a statue.

"I'm going to give you three another chance," he relented. My heart lifted, but his voice was still distant, as though he drifted between bad memories. "The rules are harder this time around. No one gives food to Naruto, and no one unties him. It's his punishment for trying to eat alone. Break the rules_ this_ time and you really will pay for it."

"Sensei," I started. Naruto overrode me,

"Alright! Thanks, sensei! You won't regret this!"

Kakashi didn't respond, he just left with a puff of smoke.

"Naruto," I warned, "Don't do that again."

"Do what?"

"Were you paying attention? He was talking about his dead friends. Think about how you would feel."

Naruto's head sank.

"I wouldn't know. I don't have friends," he muttered spitefully. I grabbed his face with my good hand and forced him to look at me.

"You got at least one, buddy," I said. Naruto's stomach growled like a small dog I always wanted to kick.

"Hey," I continued, "We're all a team, _all_ of us. If we fail, we fail together. Right, Sasuke?" Sasuke frowned, but he looked available for friendship. I pulled out my last granola bar and unwrapped it.

"Here," I ran over Naruto's protests, "I don't care if we get in trouble."

"He's no use if he's hungry," Sasuke agreed with a nod. He opened a boxed lunch and held it out for Naruto.

"Th-thanks guys," he said with tears in his eyes. He could be a real dork.

Naruto took a bite.

The next thing I knew, the sky had gone dark and thunder and lightning filled the air - Kakashi returned and he wove a sign.

"**YOU!**"

My heart raced in my chest. I'd had enough.

"You broke the rules! I hope you're ready for the consequences!"

My remaining patience snapped like a twig.

"Can it, Kakashi! What did you want us to do, exactly? Did you want us to work together or not, because if you can't make up your mind I don't think we'll be a very good team!"

"Yeah!" Naruto added, "You said the goal of this thing was to be a team, right? They just gave me their food because otherwise we couldn't work together!"

"Go ahead and fail us!" I yelled, praying he'd do the opposite, "At least we'll do it as a team!" I shrunk inwardly at my phrasing, but I didn't back down.

The storm cleared and Kakashi folded his arms behind his back. To my surprise, he chuckled.

"You pass."

"We… what?" Sasuke started.

"You. Pass."

I could hardly dare to believe it.

"Congratulations," Kakashi said, and he gave us a thumbs-up, "None of the other students ever tried to work together - they followed my directions to the letter, and none of them ever succeeded."

"So the bells-"

"Were a red herring. They don't mean anything," he said, tucking them into his pocket. "I wanted a team who would defy orders and back up their teammates.

"In the world of ninja, people who break the rules are treated as scum, that's true. But people who abandon their friends are even worse than scum."

He was an okay guy after all. I could follow him - his principles aligned with mine, at least. His methods were harsh, but the truth often was.

"We pass," Naruto sighed; he looked like he was about to cry. When I thought about it, I kind of wanted to cry too. It had been a hellish hour-and-a-half.

"Let's go home," Kakashi said. He and Sasuke turned to go.

"Don't you live on the other side of town?" I wondered aloud. He shrugged.

"It's a figure of speech, Hika."

I cut Naruto loose and we all left the grounds.


	3. A Big-Small Secret

**I apologize for the relative briefness of this chapter; my computer is on the fritz, but thankfully I can still post.**

**Updates every Saturday.**

* * *

I had a team again.

Inoue and Ato were only a distant, useless memory. I could safely store them away next to the smatterings of verbal abuse from my academy days.

However, my joy was slightly overshadowed by a new social obstacle- I'd be spending a lot of time with them in the near and far future. I'd have to tell them at some point. I couldn't picture myself _not_ telling them, because I'd already imagined doing it dozens of times. It had only been a week.

We'd spent it doing odd jobs and errands around the village, getting a feel for each other's strengths, testing out our synchrony. Unfortunately, I was good enough to know that if I didn't share my little secret, my distracted mind wouldn't do my team any favors. I pictured it again; my face blanketed with sweat, bright red, a stumbling heart, and my mouth refusing to cooperate with my commands; Naruto's reaction - stupefied, confused, indifferent, and angry. I wasn't worried about Sasuke. We weren't exactly joined at the hip. I could withstand his disapproval. Kakashi would be the worst. He was the adult of the group; who knew how much his disapproval would affect me. At least my hand had healed.

"Hika!" Kakashi's voice over the headset shocked me out of my reverie. He sounded like he'd repeated himself.

"I'm at point B!" I said quickly. I kicked myself for losing focus; exactly what I'd been afraid of.

"Slow, Hika," he admonished, "Wait -I've got movement!"

A shadow danced in front of me and before I could give chase, a flash of yellow and orange raced after it. I relaxed and stared into the depths of the forest; I sucked the inside of my cheek. I liked the woods. Very green, very calm-

"I got it! I got it!" he shouted and I pulled the headset out before he could shatter my eardrum. The woods were naturally quiet, and ninja usually added to that silence. Naruto possessed no such inhibitions. Covertness be damned, he had to be center-stage. I didn't hate him for it, but sometimes I wished he would act his age; maybe a little courtesy wouldn't go amiss. Some ninja actively _sought_ _out_ peace, instead of ruining it for others.

"Confirm red bow on ear."

"Red bow confirmed, housecat Tora is in custody," Sasuke said. Naruto and Sasuke trotted off to return the cat and Kakashi cornered me against an elm.

"Hika, are you okay? You seem a little out of it."

I couldn't stop my face from blushing bright red. My throat was stoppered. The tree's bark had a very interesting pattern, small eddies of cellulose in its surface. They could almost put someone to sleep.

"Not - not really. I'm sorry, sensei. I lost focus; it won't happen again."

He nodded, unconvinced but merciful, and started to leave. I made an involuntary noise of protest that sounded like a sigh. I regretted it an instant later, but I pressed on.

"Wait-" And he did.

"Kakashi-sensei, it's - it's not bad or anything, but…" I wondered when someone had had time to wire my heart to a lightning rod.

"Okay," he said, gently leading me along.

"It's embarrassing." That was only a small part of it; the actual feeling was akin to mind-numbing, rib-cracking, suffocating terror. But that seemed too extreme to say out loud.

I looked down at the ground. I'd built myself up too much; I was toppling over a crevice and now I was staring at the bottom. It was a long way down. I swallowed and took a step back from the edge.

"Never mind."

* * *

I didn't disagree with Naruto's puerile screams; we were doing useless missions. First the gardening, now catnapping? I added my assent to Sasuke's - we needed a real mission. I was concerned that anything above a D-rank would throw off our teamwork, for obvious reasons, but ultimately the whole team knew that babysitting wouldn't prepare us for the real world.

"So, Naruto wants a real mission, does he?" Lord Sarutobi mused, drawing a puff from his pipe, "Iruka, please sit down. I think I understand. Naruto wants us to know that he isn't a brat anymore, so he wants to prove it to us. I say we let him.

"Very well. This time only, I will give you a C-rank mission."

Naruto was over the moon. His change of mood was alarming. In between his celebratory shouts, I could make out Lord Sarutobi's next sentence,

"You will be escorting someone to the Land of Waves."

"Oh who are we escorting? Are they important? Is it a princess? A noble guy?" I wouldn't mind a princess, but saying that out loud would've sounded very gay; literally.

"Bring in our visitor," Lord Hokage called to someone outside. The door opened, and we held our breath. On the other side of the door was our future as Team 7, and Naruto could barely contain his excitement.

The world's drunkest man swaggered in with a beer bottle in his hand.

"Is this it?" he griped, gesturing to us with a wide sweep of his arm.

"Well, I don't know what I expected," I said to Naruto, which about covered my thoughts on the matter. He looked disappointed about the lack of "princess" in the room. I would've argued Sasuke had more "princess" in him than Yukiko from the Land of Snow, but Sasuke might not have approved, so I kept my thoughts to myself.

"I am Tazuna, the bridge builder," he said, taking a swig from his bottle.

"We have to escort _this_ old geezer?"

"Naruto, have some respect," Iruka-sensei asserted, though clearly he didn't have a high opinion of our charge either.

"I will if he does," Naruto muttered, but I heard him. Tazuna disappointed us.

"You're a ninja?" Tazuna said, "I'd believe you if you weren't so puny and brightly colored."

"I wonder who he's talking to," Naruto mused aloud, and I slapped my forehead. I counted four seconds before his expression changed from bemused to furious.

"And dimwitted, apparently," Tazuna added. _Well he's right about that_.

"Sir, respectfully, if you want our protection, it helps if you don't insult us," I said, and I succeeded in sounding calm and dismissive.

Tazuna huffed. Kakashi raised his eyebrows at me and I gave a sheepish smile. I was still recovering from the deep blush I'd picked up earlier.

"We'll leave immediately."

* * *

**EDIT: Following some advice. Hika backs down and retreats inward. Oh well.**

**Now it's even shorter, but it was a necessary change. New post Saturday will be twice as long as this one.**


	4. First Real Mission

I wasn't even totally sure where we were going. I'd never left the village before - because I'd never needed to, and my parents were paranoid about this sort of thing - and I prayed Kakashi, or at least Tazuna, knew the way. It didn't help my uncertainty that Naruto was mouthing off to everyone.

"You know, I really don't think the Land of Waves isn't all that great," he said, _apropos_ of nothing. "What good is a ninja village if it's in the middle of an ocean?"

I expected Tazuna to go off on a drunken rant, but what he did was even worse.

"Yes, I'm afraid I have to agree with you," he said sullenly. "We - we aren't a very wealthy nation, simply because we're isolated. That's why I'm building my bridge. It will be the first to connect the Land of Waves to the mainland, and in time, it will bring commerce and prosperity. If it is allowed to come to fruition."

"Allowed?" I echoed. The word choice was strange to me. "Allowed by who?"

"Whom," Kakashi corrected. I scowled.

"It was merely a figure of speech," Tazuna said, perhaps a little too quickly. I shrugged it off. His business was his business, so long as it didn't interfere with our mission.

"Hey Hika," Naruto asked, clearly not listening, "have you ever been out of the village? I mean, you had a team before us, right?"

"Yeah, I did, but we mostly did small fry jobs."

"Like catnapping?"

"I wish; they weren't even _that_ exciting."

"That sounds awful."

"It definitely wasn't fun." I heard Tazuna mutter something about "inexperienced". Thankfully, Naruto didn't hear him so I let it pass for now. Tazuna chucked his empty beer bottle into the woods. I glared at him.

"Litterbug," I muttered.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stick up and I turned around. I glanced at Kakashi. He nodded slightly and kept walking. My mouth had gone dry and suddenly I couldn't swallow. I carefully turned back around, adjusted my pack, and put my hand on my shurikan holster. I saw Sasuke flick his eyes towards me; I must've looked worried, because he looked at Kakashi next to confirm. It wasn't just my imagination.

_We're being followed_.

My limbs felt heavy and warm, and I wanted to rip the tape off my arms. My skin was irritated, prickling with electric fear. I was itching for a fight.

A flash in the corner of my eye made me twist my head toward Kakashi. A grinding of chains alerted me, but I was weighed down by invisible pressure. I stood there, frozen, as razor chains wrapped around Kakashi-sensei and tore him in half.

I did what any sane person would've done. I panicked. In that moment, I wasn't a ninja; I was a frightened child, facing real danger for the first time, wide-eyed and motionless. It felt entirely too surreal at first, like the whole thing was happening in slow-motion. I was hypnotized by the grace with which the two ninja, cloaked in black, ripped Kakashi in two, and sped toward Tazuna.

And yet, even in that trance-like state, when I could feel every painful beat of my heart, I somehow didn't detect the movement of my own legs. In that moment, I was actually more confused by myself than the attackers. Why was I moving? _Where_ was I moving? If someone had asked me right then, I wouldn't have been able to answer. But I moved, wordlessly, fearfully, into the path of certain death without a weapon in my hand. I closed my eyes. I punched.

Imagine my surprise when I felt the impact of bone-on-bone, as my knuckles made direct contact with the ninja's face and sent him flying backwards a full foot before he righted himself and landed on the ground. I heard his footsteps, like the quiet pitter-patter of door mice, rush at me once more. _Shit._ I had barely even hurt him!

His footfalls came to an abrupt stop with two thunks of wood. By the sound - _shurikan_. I took a peek through my eyelids. _The chain_. Someone had nailed the chain to a tree - _Sasuke_. It was smart, but not smart enough. The chains broke with a metallic clang and the footsteps resumed, this time twofold. They were both headed for Tazuna. I swallowed hard and readied another punch.

Two very un-ninja-like grunts accompanied the arrival of another person, whose presence I recognized. I sighed with relief.

"Kakashi-sensei."

I opened my eyes and, true to form, he had a ninja under each arm, both knocked out by the looks of them.

"Hi," he said with the air of a guy who had just walked into a party fifteen minutes late. I had half a mind to give him a lecture, but I doubted I could string two words together in my present state, unless they were "fuck" and "you".

"Naruto, sorry I didn't help you back there. I didn't want you to get hurt, but I didn't expect you to freeze up like that," he said. It was only when I turned away from the chunin that I realized Naruto was nursing a wound on his hand. He hadn't moved; he looked like he was still processing everything.

"Hika, Sasuke, good job," he said. I felt vague pride stir in my chest, but I kept my attention on Naruto. He had panicked, just like I had. I bit my lip and was about to offer some stirring words when-

"Hey," Sasuke sneered, "you're not hurt are you? _Scaredy-cat._" It took me a critical second to realize he wasn't talking to me. Anger welled up in me.

I should've slapped him, but instead I said, "Sasuke, shut up." It was lame, not even a real comeback, but it worked just a little - Sasuke gave me a solid glare. He looked like he was about to say something to make me shit my pants, but Kakashi cut him off.

"Naruto, don't move," he said urgently. "These ninja have poison in their claws. We need to take it out of you quickly. The more your heart beats, the faster it spreads, so try not to move - or panic."

Kakashi tied the guys to a tree, slapped them awake, and started to question them. I decided to give them names: Leftie and Grimy.

"I take it you're chunin from Kiri - the Hidden Mist village."

"How do you know about our ambush?" Grimy rasped.

"Let's chock it up to good battle sense. A puddle, on the road, when it hasn't rained in weeks?" Kakashi admonished lightly.

I hadn't seen the puddle; I should have been paying more attention. I berated myself.

"What do you want with Konoha shinobi?"

They didn't respond.

"I'd answer quickly," he continued, holding up a kunai, "or you might find yourself suddenly short a few fingers."

_I am _so _glad he's on our side. _I thought to myself with a shiver.

"We weren't after you," Leftie hissed.

"We wanted the bridge builder," Grimy said. I turned to Tazuna and tried to gauge his reaction. He was frightened, probably because he'd just been attacked, but I couldn't discern any surprise. _Had he been expecting this?_

"As I thought. Thank you," Kakashi said courteously. He took out a scroll and nailed it to the tree with a kunai. "Some ninja will be here soon to escort you to Konoha."

_They're going to interrogate them for real at the village._ I almost felt sorry for them.

We started walking again. When we were out of earshot of the chunin, Kakashi asked Tazuna, "Why didn't you tell us there were enemy ninja after you?"

Tazuna struggled with an answer.

"When you put in a request with us, you said you wanted standard protection on your journey, from common robbers and highwaymen. As a result, the mission was given a C rank. It would've been ranked a B or higher if we knew this; we would've charged and staffed accordingly. It was irresponsible of you to put your safety in the hands of these genin."

"Hey, we handled them, didn't we?" I said indignantly.

"Hika, we only handled them after _I_ got involved. What if I hadn't been there?"

The question stole the words from my mouth. I looked dumbly at the ground and contemplated the outcome - three genin, with the burden of protecting a charge, versus two unfettered chunin. It wasn't good.

"Anyway, that's not the point. You put their lives in danger as well as your own," Kakashi continued. He was aggravated.

"It's not that simple," Tazuna said. "I told you; the Land of Waves is very poor. We couldn't have afforded to pay for a B-rank mission."

A pause. A bird chirped northwest of our position.

"I see."

No one was really at fault, and that only made it worse.

"Our only option is to return to the village," Kakashi said. "This mission is beyond our capabilities. Naruto's wound poses an additional problem. He needs to be treated by a medical ninja right away."

Naruto reacted to this statement in an alarming way, though in retrospect, I shouldn't have been surprised.

He took a kunai knife and plunged it directly into the cut in a bloody display that seemed to strike me as well. The knife went in an inch and sent out a splatter of deep red; I cringed at his pained yell.

"Why am I always so… arg!" he cried disjointedly. He stood there, dripping, for several seconds. "I've tried so hard to make it here. I trained 'til I couldn't stand. I didn't do all that so I could… _freeze_ like a… like a rabbit! I swear, upon this wound, that I will never give up. I'll protect you wih my life, bridge builder. And I will not lose to Sasuke."

My eyes widened. His determination and self-confidence bordered on masochism, and it still daunted me. I couldn't picture doing that to myself.

"Naruto, that was really cool how you took the poison out, but if we don't bandage that hand you're going to die," Kakashi said. He ruined a great moment, but he was also right. Naruto started to panic. I opened my pack and took his bloody hand in mine. I started to wrap it in gauze. The motion seemed to calm him.

"You're a real knucklehead, you know that?" I was grinning again. "I'm starting to think you're a glutton for punishment." But he wasn't listening; he was glaring past me at Sasuke, as if to say, "Think I'm a scaredy-cat now? Your turn, bad boy."

I tied off the bandage and taped it.

"That should be good for now." I snapped my fingers in front of his eyes. "Hey, you listening? Change this twice a day, 'kay?"

"Okay."

"Can we keep going, just for a little while?" I asked Kakashi. He took mercy on me - or maybe he didn't.

"Just a little while," he echoed, and we kept walking.

* * *

We took a canoe from the coast through the fog and drifted to the shoreline of Kiri. Kakashi took a breath and broke the silence.

"Mr. Tazuna, before we continue, I need to know why there are people after you," he said. "If you don't tell us, I'm afraid you'll have to make the rest of your journey by yourself."

Tazuna considered that for a moment.

"Very well. You were right in saying that this is beyond the scope of the original mission. You see, the Land of Waves is under the thumb of a powerful, ruthless businessman. He is a very short man, who casts a very long shadow. This is the man who seeks my life. His name is Gato."

"Of Gato Transport? Everyone knows him. Why does he want you dead?" Kakashi asked.

"The bridge that I'm building, the bridge meant to connect the our land to yours, will bring wealth to my country. Wealth at the cost of Gato's profits. He has a monopoly on the entire transport industry in the Land of Waves, and he is one of the richest men in the world because of it. He hasn't earned any of his money; he obtained it by exploiting my people, and with this bridge, we may finally be free of him," Tazuna said. His head fell. "Personally, I wouldn't blame you if you abandoned me. But then, the entire Land of Waves would continue to suffer. And of course, my grandson would be beside himself with grief if he found out I had died at Gato's hands. And my daughter would curse Konoha shinobi for causing my death and leaving her without a father."

I stared at Kakashi in disbelief, searching for a lifeline. He couldn't expect us to go with Tazuna and fight off more enemy ninja, did he?

Apparently so. The guilt trip appeared to have worked on all of us (except Sasuke, because he didn't have a soul).

"Since the entire country is at stake," Kakashi said sardonically, "I guess we have no other choice. We'll guard you until you reach your destination."

* * *

We stepped off the boat in unison. Gradually, the mist faded and the path in front of us became clear.

Naruto was on edge as soon as his feet hit land. He jumped at everything, and threw shurikan like he was giving out candy at Tanabata. I rolled my eyes until my optic nerves ached with the strain.

A shrub rustled, and I barely counted a second before Naruto blindly shot a kunai knife at the sound. I didn't even blink when he realized he'd almost murdered a rabbit, not a deadly assassin.

"Cute rabbit," I mused. It was white, unusual for the area. I kept walking, blissfully unaware of impending danger until a sword the size of a steel girder spun across our path and embedded itself in a tree three inches from my nose.

**Next week, Zabuza.**


	5. Demon of the Mist

"Well well, if it isn't Zabuza Mamochi, rogue ninja of Kirigakure."

I saw Naruto attempt to rush at the dark figure in the tree, but Kakashi put an arm in front of him.

"You're in the way."

_Why do I know that name?_ I thought to myself. If he was a rogue ninja, his name would be in the bingo book, which was probably where I'd seen it; I read everything. _Come to think of it, isn't Kakashi in the book too? _I tried to picture his entry, but I came up dry. My mind wasn't functioning.

"Stay back, all of you!"

"But why?" Naruto griped.

"He's a jonin, same rank as me. You three," he said to us, "manji formation. Protect the bridge builder." He brought a hand up to his headband. "If he's our opponent, I'll need this."

"Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan," Zabuza mused in a gravelly voice, "did I get that right?"

I knew that word too, but this time I couldn't place it. Kakashi pushed his headband up and revealed a thin scar over his left eye, which opened. The iris gleamed bright red in the gathering mist. I looked closer and saw three black raindrops around the pupil. I had seen it before, on the forgotten page of a long-lost textbook about special ninjutsu.

"Kekkei Genkai," I muttered to myself.

"Sharingan," Sasuke said. "Is Kakashi planning to reflect Zabuza's attacks back on him?"

"Don't look at me," Naruto said. "This is the first time I'm hearing it. What is it?"

"A dojutsu. It's used to learn and replicate attacks; the Sharingan lets a person instantly comprehend any jutsu used on them and reflect it back. But then, there's a lot more to the Sharingan than that."

"You got it right, kid," Zabuza said, turning to face us. "But then, I think that's enough talk, don't you? I'm here for the bridge builder. Hand him over and I'll make your deaths quick."

I thought of a retort and, unusual for me, I analyzed it _before_ it came out of my mouth. It wouldn't piss him off any more than he was at the moment, but it would draw his attention. I swallowed and felt my arms start to prickle. I didn't want him to mark me as a target, but we were guarding Tazuna, so theoretically I couldn't end up in a worse situation.

I was standing in front of a mountain.

"How gracious of you." The sarcastic words were forced from my mouth by his atmospheric presence. My mouth curled into a sneer in spite of my twisting insides.

Zabuza's eyes flicked to me and narrowed. I withstood his glare.

"Shove it, Mamochi."

That was it. Those would be the last words I ever spoke. He would cut us in half with one swing of his unreasonably large sword, and my last words would be a command to put his words up his ass. Fear leaked into my face, and I couldn't control the slipping scowl. I saw Kakashi's head turned in my direction, but only in my peripherals; Zabuza's gaze held me prisoner with small, black, bottomless eyes. I stared into death itself, and strangely, my consciousness started to drift; my vision narrowed - in front of me lay two pits of total hopelessness, and I fell through black until I had a moment of total clarity:

I was prey.

In desperate effort, I shut my eyes and released myself. I could still feel his presence, the energy he gave off by simply standing on that tree branch, but I was free from his glare. I almost collapsed in relief.

"Hika," Kakashi's voice drew my attention, "let me deal with him."

I nodded. My fingers twitched over my shurikan holster.

"Good luck with that." The voice behind me almost sounded like Tazuna. For a moment, I almost convinced myself it was.

Zabuza was an inch from my ear. My heart seized, but my eyes stayed closed. I hadn't heard his approach with the blood pumping loudly in my skull.

In my terror, I lashed out.

He caught my fist, and I heard the sword sing as it swung. With my left hand, I made a desperate half-sign and ripped my right hand free. In a puff of smoke, I was sitting in a near tree, a log in my place. He slashed the log clean in half with a _thunk_ and shouted wordlessly in frustration. I sensed him become still. Ears pricked, I heard slight breathing - Kakashi's - emanating from Zabuza's last-known position.

"You're done," Kakashi said. I opened my eyes. Kakashi was behind Zabuza with a kunai to his throat. With a slash, my heart leapt, only to be slammed down to the ground when, a moment later, the shrill song of Zabuza's sword reappeared to slice Kakashi in half. But then I saw the shadow of spray wasn't blood - it was water.

"Water clones," I sighed in relief, "both of them."

The two jonin had survived. Zabuza threw a kick and shot Kakashi clear across the nearby pond. I heard him swear as he dropped into the water.

"Shit. Hika, Sasuke, Naruto - you need to go now!" he shouted.

Zabuza flashed a sign. "Water prison jutsu!" Water swirled around Kakashi, enclosed him, and formed a churning sphere.

"Guys!" I screamed. Another water clone had appeared only feet from my teammates.

Naruto got the hint and a dozen shadow clones poofed into existence.

"Stop right there!" he shouted. They piled onto Zabuza's clone and for a beautiful moment I believed it would work. A moment later, though, they'd been thrown in the air with one wave of the huge sword.

I leapt into the fray, taking advantage of the distraction; Sasuke had the same idea, having recovered from his frozen state, and descended with me, kunai in hand.

A pain crushed down on my throat. Zabuza's hand wrapped around my windpipe like a python. I grabbed and clawed at it and made a gurgling in the back of my mouth. My vision grew red. It blurred more with each passing second; I saw Sasuke's vague shape in Zabuza's other arm. He was going to strangle us to death. I struggled against him, undulating my body, kicking and punching with every last drop of strength. I fought for my consciousness like it was the rope dangling from a very high cliff.

No. No, it was less like hanging, more like drowning - as the oxygen seeped out of my bloodstream, the world lost focus and became fuzzy fragments, without meaning or… _Or what?_ I had been thinking of something, now it was gone like a string yanked out of my ear. The pressure intensified and my lungs burned and shriveled as hot tears streamed down my cheeks.

I still had something to say. Words had been left unsaid, abandoned halfway between thought and action, and I couldn't remember what they'd been. I chased after their imprint, all concern for my life moved to the back of my mind. What did I need to say?

The pressure slipped from my neck and I felt the air rush against me as I fell and met the ground, which was strangely soft. I barely felt the impact. I was dizzy, and jumbled inside - I couldn't remember anything. Zabuza was a gray blur in my limited vision. _Zabuza._ Yes, I knew him. He'd almost killed me a second ago. Now I was on the floor. Or was it the ground? _Where are we? _I wondered aimlessly. I drifted with the mist.

* * *

A sharp pain in my stomach woke me. I curled and grunted.

"Weaklings, all of you," a cruel voice said, and he kicked again. I cried out and he rested his foot on my chest.

"Naruto, stay with Tazuna," I heard Sasuke say. Feeling had returned to my limbs, but I stayed down. I'd wait until I had an advantage, when I could take him by surprise. I gave a fake moan, but to my chagrin, the pain it expressed was real.

"Someone's awake, I see," he sneered. His foot pressed harder. My heartbeat accelerated, and I was terrified he'd cracked my ribs. I knotted my eyebrows; I didn't have to work hard to force a tear.

"No way," Naruto yelled back, "I'm gonna save Hika!"

"Don't be an idiot!"

"Do you have a better idea?"

Sasuke's silence was his disheartening answer. I forced my eyes open and blinked at him twice. He remained unreadable. My hand crept from the foot on my chest to my thigh.

In a single, savage motion I whipped a kunai out of my holster and plunged it into Zabuza's ankle. His joint gave a jarring, satisfying crunch before the body burst and drenched me in a puddle of cold water.

Now fully awake, I pushed to my feet and shook out my hair. Sasuke and Naruto were already moving. I sprinted between them, back to the bridge builder, in a flawless position-reversal that would've brought Iruka-sensei to tears.

Naruto brought out more shadow clones and rushed at the real Zabuza. They were repelled instantly and Naruto responded by throwing Sasuke a black instrument. Without missing a beat Sasuke unfurled the large shurikan and hurled it, with perfect aim, straight at Zabuza.

He caught it, but now there was another - hidden in the shadow of the first, the second sped toward its target. He leapt into the air to dodge, and the shurikan passed harmlessly between him and the surface.

It went up in smoke to reveal Naruto, already throwing. A kunai shot towards Zabuza. He pulled his hand free from Kakashi's prison, fury now palpable, and spun the first shurikan in his fingers with audible force.

"DIE!"

A sickening clash of metal on metal pealed through the air. The shurikan's motion had been interrupted with enough force that it was canceled out. It had come in contact with the guard of Kakashi's glove.

"**Just try it.**"

Goosebumps racked my body at his chilling words. Kakashi had been freed from the prison by Sasuke and Naruto's complex plan; it had worked.

"It was a fluke," Tazuna grunted. "It was luck - that's all it was."

_You can call it that, but it doesn't change the fact that they almost beat him._

I would've said it, but it was all I could do not to double over and start hyperventilating.

Zabuza and Kakashi leapt apart, speeding away to separate ends of the pond, mist whirling peaceably between them as they flashed a series of hand signs. I sensed their chakras swell and focus in the water.

"Water style: Water dragon jutsu!" they shouted in unison. Water rose and coiled around them two, ten-foot thick columns. I stepped back, hugging my stomach, intimidated by the dragon-shaped waves.

In a swift splash, their water dragons canceled each other out. Zabuza was startled. Kakashi made "tori", and hurricane-force winds whipped up a vortex behind him that enlarged and blasted Zabuza downstream in the blink of an eye. I braced myself against the wind and spray, eyes squinted. I saw Naruto's sprout of yellow hair wash away. Kakashi and Sasuke tore after them. I resisted the urge to follow - Tazuna needed to be protected. I made a sign and clone puffed up next to me. Wordlessly, it took a position behind Tazuna to watch our backs.

I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach.

"Shit," I gasped, "too much chakra."

The world took a dive, and I blacked out.

* * *

I came to, presumably, a few minutes later. Naruto was leaning over me.

"Thank god," he sighed. "Hika, sensei's out like a light - we need your help to carry him."

"We'll get him to my house," came Tazuna's gruff voice. I sat up, still groggy.

"Come on," Naruto ushered.

"What happened?" I asked. I steadied myself and followed him, bleary-eyed, downstream. Naruto "hmphed".

"This ninja kid came outta nowhere and took him out."

"Kakashi?"

"No. Zabuza," he hissed and looked down at his feet. "He did it so… so easily! He only used two needles!"

I didn't know what to say to that. I'd missed Zabuza's death.

"Oh well," I murmured, heart falling. I hadn't done anything except get caught and stab a water clone.

Naruto held out a hand. I took it and let him pull me up. We walked down the bank, occasionally stopping when my vision got too spotty.

I saw Sasuke and Tazuna's familiar shapes gradually appear through the mist. Kakashi was flat on his stomach and out like a light.

"What happened to him?" I asked.

"He just... collapsed," Naruto said.

"Chakra exhaustion," Sasuke said. "The Sharingan takes a lot of chakra to use, especially since…" He trailed off.

"Where's Zabuza?" I asked.

"The kid took him," Sasuke replied dully.

I draped Kakashi's arm around my shoulders and tried to haul him up off the ground. My knees gave out. Tazuna took sensei's other arm and helped me lift him.

"He's surprisingly heavy," I growled.

"It's not far to my home," Tazuna said. "If we hurry, we can get there before nightfall."


	6. Double-Date with Death

**Apologies for the winter hiatus/delay. I would have posted sooner, but… I didn't feel like it.**

**In this chapter, I'm pretending the team already has basic knowledge of chakra, because they should - they grew up in a ninja village, took ninja classes, at a ninja academy. They are ninja by association and therefore should know about chakra.  
**

* * *

We (that is to say, Tazuna and I) managed to carry an unconscious Kakashi the rest of the way to the bridge builder's town.

Unfortunately, it was midnight when we arrived at Tazuna's doorstep. We knocked, and Tazuna's daughter, a raven-haired twenty-something, came to the door. She took one look at us and the passed out jonin on our backs; she rubbed her eyes. I could barely say "Zabuza" before she ushered us in.

We followed her to a small room with tatami mats rolled up in the corner. She took one and spread it over the wood floor. Tazuna laid Kakashi down. She looked him over. "He won't wake up for a few hours at least," she said in a clipped voice.

"I'll make breakfast in a few hours," she said wearily, "I'm Tsunami. You'll see my son Inari running around the place in the morning." She was very short with us, but then, the four of us _had_ dropped in unannounced in the middle of the night - with an injured jonin on us to boot. I was grateful she was being so fair to us, given the situation.

"Thank you, Tsunami," I said. "We won't stay any longer than absolutely necessary."

She left us alone with our sensei. Tazuna sighed and followed her. I fell back on the floor.

"I'm so tired," I groaned. "We should get some rest, guys."

I looked up. Naruto and Sasuke were already fast asleep, curled up and snoring lightly. I smirked, shut my eyes, and drifted in the darkness.

* * *

I woke up just before dawn. The guys were still sleeping. I was envious of them; I hadn't slept very well. I glanced out the open window, the blue-black sky just starting to break into orange, and put my hand under my chin.

"How long have you been up?" I asked, focused on a serpentine wisp of cloud curling slowly through the sky.

"A few hours," Kakashi replied quietly. "Did you sleep okay?"

"No."

"I wouldn't expect you to," he sighed.

"I feel like taking a walk," I said, standing up.

"You shouldn't do that," he warned.

"Why not?"

"If Gato sent Zabuza, he can send other jonin-level ninja after us."

I took his word for it, and took a reading scroll from my belt pack. I settled in and waited for the sound of Tsunami clattering pots in the kitchen.

* * *

"We should go get breakfast," I said. The smell of eggs and bacon was making my mouth water. Naruto, Sasuke and Tazuna nodded in agreement.

"First, I need to tell you something," Kakashi said. "I think Zabuza is still alive."

* * *

We ate breakfast in sullen silence. We finished inside five minutes and followed Kakashi-sensei, on crutches, into the neighboring forest.

"You're going to start a new kind of training today: chakra control," Kakashi said. He threw three kunai - one in front of each of us.

I groaned and rubbed my forehead. "What are we going to do?" I asked.

"Climb a tree," he chuckled and pointed up. "The only rule: you can't use your hands."

"How are we going to do that?" Naruto asked.

"It's simple-"

"You always say that," I grimaced.

"True, because the concept itself is simple. All you have to do is concentrate the chakra in your feet," he put two fingers to his lips and a felt a pulse in the air, "and walk."

Kakashi (probably) smirked and limped over to a tree. He put a foot on the trunk and walked, crutches and all, vertically up the tree.

"Okay, walking on water is one thing, but _sideways_?" I said in awe. I'd never seen a ninja do something like that.

Kakashi dismounted gracefully, crutches and all.

"First, run at the tree using only your momentum and mark the highest place you can reach with the knife. Push yourself to go higher with each attempt until controlling your chakra becomes second nature. This is an invaluable skill, because in battle you must learn to control chakra without paying attention."

Sasuke and I nodded. Naruto frowned and rubbed his head.

"But how do we get up the tree?" Naruto persisted.

"Concentrate the chakra in the soles of your feet. It's the most difficult for beginners, but if you can master this, you can master any jutsu. Theoretically," he clarified.

I was not good with weapons. I was even worse with chakra control.

"I'll try not to slice my foot off," I grimaced. "But, how is this supposed to help us beat Zabuza?"

"You three don't understand how to use your chakra correctly. You guess at the proportions and different types when you cast a jutsu, so you end up spending more than you need to - when you aren't smart about how you use your chakra, your reserves dry up fast. And naturally, if you waste too much, you die."

"Duh, everybody knows that," Naruto said, but I had a feeling he didn't.

"Don't wait for an invitation," Kakashi said and jutted his chin at the trees. I twirled the kunai around my forefinger.

Naruto shot a glare at Sasuke; in a flash they were halfway up their trees and had left me dizzy in the dust. I gulped and followed. My feet were unsure, so I slipped on my fourth step - I slashed in an embarrassing flail and tumbled to the ground. My face burned bright red, but no one was paying attention - Kakashi had his nose back in Icha Icha, and Naruto and Sasuke were focused on their rivalry.

I let the tree sear into my eyes and closed them - it was an afterimage on the insides of my lids.

"Here goes nothing." I rushed forward and counted. One, to two, to five, to ten… when I got to twenty I became dubious. My confusion blossomed into fear, and I slipped.

The fall lasted two full seconds.

"Very good, Hika," Kakashi said with lazy praise. My hand was sweaty on the kunai grip.

"Did I make it? I couldn't tell."

"You were close. Keep going."

* * *

We went until sundown - that is, I went until sundown before I ran out of chakra. The final time, I'd at least run out of tree to climb - I leapt from the top, exhausted and covered in scratches, and hit the ground hard on my side.

"Oof."

"Congratulations," Kakashi said. I looked up.

"What's my prize?"

"Dinner back at Tazuna's," he quipped.

I sighed. "Food's good." I shoved off the ground with my good arm and nursed my shoulder.

"They'll be a while," Kakashi said.

"You think so?"

"Oh yes. Even without this," he pointed a thumb at his left eye, "I can tell they're using brute force."

We started back for Tazuna's.

"I would've thought Sasuke would be better at focusing."

"Usually he is, however," he looked back up at the two, distant nin, "Naruto is a big influence."

I frowned. "Their whole… thing. I don't get it."

He waited for me to explain.

"Why do they hate each other?"

"Hate is a strong word; it's a bit more like," he thought for a second. "Okay, maybe 'hate' is a good word, but they inspire each other, I think."

"Inspire?"

"Sasuke is the prodigy Naruto wishes he was, and yet, he's the only one who can keep up - maybe even surpass Sasuke's own skill."

I bowed my head.

"Which isn't to say that you couldn't surpass both of them," Kakashi added. It sounded a little hasty, and I didn't believe him. Naruto and Sasuke were in a separate league. Mentally, I knew it - somewhere deep, under all the pride.

* * *

The fog twisted and hung on my shoulders. Unlike normal fog, it pricked at my eyes and made them water; as if my sight could be any worse. The sweat rolled down my exposed arm. Suddenly, I was terrified Zabuza would hear it drip on the ground. I wiped my forehead.

I swallowed. I resisted to urge to call out for Kakashi-sensei, or Naruto. I couldn't make it any easier for Zabuza.

"What's happening now?"

"Goddamn it all, Tazuna, shut your fucking mouth," I hissed back, readjusting my kunai. Hopefully he'd overlook it when we turned in our report.

I inhaled a sharp bit of cold fog. I came close to laughing. "Turned in our report?" What was I thinking?

It had been easy enough to guess when the mist rolled in - Zabuza and the kid had found us. Naruto and Sasuke were trapped, Kakashi blocked by Zabuza. And yet, somehow I had drawn the short straw. I had to guard the prisoner, be prepared for an attack from any angle - but the worst part: I didn't know when, from where, or even if the attack would come. Maybe Kakashi could beat Zabuza. Maybe, if Naruto and Sasuke could hold out long enough, he'd beat the kid too.

But more likely?

My heart pounded Morse code in my chest: I was going to _die_.

* * *

**Again, apologies for this chapter's shortness. I was losing my motivation to write. Hopefully I've found it again.**


	7. Look on the Bright Side?

**A thousand apologies for this tardy entry. From here on out, expect a chapter once every two weeks.**

* * *

I pulled his ear close. "Tazuna, I'd like to move closer to Naruto," I whispered. "I'm no use standing here."

I felt him nod. My arm lifted to guide him. I kept my eyes glued to the spot of mist where Kakashi and Zabuza stood. I inched to the side, daring to flick my eyes to the bubble of glass that trapped Naruto and Sasuke. The hand on the kunai grip shook and sweat. I wished, uselessly, that water drops didn't make so much noise.

Foot by foot, I slid us along, eyes stuck on the two shadows, one with the sword, one without. Muffled yells drifted from the glass; I twisted my head to look.

Big mistake, I thought too late. A space between my hips roiled and my jaw opened.

A needle.

A senbon.

Crafted for secrecy - duplicitous stealth.

I watched one approach in painful slow motion.

I wondered offhandedly how the kid's aim was so good and tried to swallow the dryness in my mouth.

I shut my eyes, and the next was pain.

It set my ocular nerves on fire, and I screamed as if the blaze spread to my lungs. Blood boiled; sight frayed; teeth clenched, almost crunched. Every muscle fiber twined together in impossible tension and shook.

Tears leaked from my left eye; my right didn't respond.

The fuck had nailed it, dead center.

* * *

It happened outside my body. My brain separated, cut off by the screams, and looked at the damage. True to form, my brain left me there, because it was too horrifying to face.

I would've laughed at a dizzying set of puns that bounced around inside my now-empty head, if I hadn't been so occupied with screaming.

I cringed inwardly at the height of the noise. I prided myself on my somewhat-low pitched voice, or used to. Now, indisputably, I was screaming. I would have denied it was me, if the pain in my eye wasn't pulsing, burning, tearing itself down my throat.

How did my lungs do that?

I whimpered, wheezed, and just kept going. The screaming was everything; if I let it go, I would just be standing there, without a voice. I needed to scream.

But I stopped. My throat seized, and I coughed.

Dimly, I noticed someone shout my name. My ears told me it was Kakashi, but my absentee brain phoned in and told me it was far too high, far too concerned to be him.

* * *

Later, I was told Zabuza took advantage of Kakashi's shock and headed straight for us. I only saw the shadow of his sword.

Then I felt the wind.

It tore at me, and if Tazuna's fearful grip on the edge of the bridge had been any less rigid, we would have plummeted over the side. The gale's force warmed the air and buffeted Zabuza who, without an anchor, tumbled away.

I half-saw the red spiral of chakra, only glimpsed a flash of orange as Naruto grabbed Haku and shattered the mirrors with an earth-rending shockwave. His face peeled into a look unspeakable, brutal rage and he punched. Haku hurtled through the air and smashed against the other side of the bridge.

Naruto doubled over. A red tail circled.

He pulled his head back and gave a splitting roar.

"What is he?" Tazuna breathed.

Vague notions of "monster" and "demon" bloomed in my chest when I glimpsed my friend's face.

Naruto ran, pulled back a fist, and stopped.

Haku's mask fell from his face and cracked on the ground.

"Why do you stop?"

The winds had gone.

"I hurt your friend. Why do you stop?" Haku repeated.

My pain, now a dull throbbing, remained. My knees mutinied and I hit the ground.

"Is this all of the rage you possess? You will never avenge her this way."

I clutched at the numb skin of my face, trying to make it feel something. I slapped my cheek.

"You were there, that day in the forest," Naruto said. "I didn't realize it until just now. You were that kid!"

What kid?

I shouted wordlessly when I felt a foreign hand on my shoulder. I flailed, but he grabbed my hands.

"Stop!" he growled.

I had never been so happy to see Sasuke. I smiled and gripped him tightly, focusing my pain into my fingers. "So happy to half-see you."

"You're delirious."

"You're delicious, too." I was very giggly all of a sudden; the shock had finally numbed my whole body, and vaguely I was aware of tears flooding from both eyes. His shirt slipped out of my grip.

Sasuke ripped a piece of cloth from his sleeve and dabbed at my right cheek. It came away red.

"Hey, your shirt is bleeding."

"No, you are," he said.

"Why?"

"There's a needle in your eye."

"Hey, who put this needle in my eye?" I moved to touch it, curious, because I had suddenly forgotten how the needle got there.

"Don't," Sasuke hissed and grabbed my hand. "You can't touch it."

"It itches."

"Just… just be glad it's not worse."

"Sasuke, are you telling me to look on the bright side?"

"I… just be quiet."

"Because I can only look at half of whatever bright side you're showing me," I smiled.

That made him visibly uncomfortable.

"Hey Sasuke, why are you eyes red?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Sasu-gay your name is funny."

"Are you high?"

I nodded and the world spun; I grabbed his shoulder for support.

"On adrenaline, and pain. Sasuke, I gotta tell you something before I die-"

"You aren't dying, you're just half-blind," he said bluntly.

"I'm gay, Sasuke, and I feel like I'm gonna die," I frowned. He was silent for a good half hour, or half minute, before-

"I don't care."

Maybe it was the brutal honesty, or his blank expression, or the adrenaline pumping in my head, but my body swooped with happiness and briefly overtook the pain. It was all I ever wanted from anyone.

Content, I fell back and blinked my left eye at the clearing mist. A pulse of pain rocked my head. I groaned.

"Naruto saved me, didn't he?"

Sasuke didn't like that; his fingers squeezed into my side.

"He saved both of us," he mumbled.

A thunderclap made us shoot to our feet and move in front of Tazuna, who had been frozen solid for the past several minutes.

"What was that?" I asked dumbly as my heart, the poor thing, lurched in my chest.

"Kakashi," Sasuke breathed. "He - he…"

Buzzing filled the air and I closed my eye, felt with my chakra. A spark of energy made me draw the tendril of chakra back and spasm. It was electric.

"Sasuke, can you see what's happening?"

"He used… a sword made of _lightning_. And stabbed Haku with it."

"Haku's dead?"

"Hika, we have to move now!"

He shoved us away just in time to dodge a swing of Zabuza's sword. Sasuke lashed out and clipped Zabuza's chin, but left himself open. A knee collided with his ribs and sent him flying past us. It was only then I realized that I'd dropped my kunai.

Oh well. I stepped in Zabuza's path and almost shrugged as I waited for him to kill me.

I was disappointed.

* * *

Zabuza fell, a spear in his back. The discolored mass of twitching, angry muscle collapsed with a grunt, and I stood there, slowly bleeding out of my mutilated eye, crying out of my other.

The remains of the mist dissipated.

In the cold daylight, it was undeniably Zabuza.

My eye twitched upward, and I saw the vague shape of a crowd behind him. Grins colder and whiter than the air blighted my sight.

"Who the hell are they?" Sasuke growled behind me.

Tazuna answered, "Gato's men. They can't be anything else."

I heard a swish, and twisted around wildly. Kakashi, covered in blood, laid a limp Haku on the ground. A gaping wound in the kid's chest sent a pang through my eye. A bitter taste stung my tongue, but I felt pity and pain as well.

"What happened?" I asked. I felt sluggish and dumb.

Kakashi's head rose to me and he froze.

"Oh. This. It's bad," I said. Kakashi left Haku's side to lay a hand on my cheek. I winced.

Green tinged the edge of my vision. Emergency first aid.

"Seems a little late for that," I murmured. He didn't reply, merely healed the skin. The throbbing continued; I was used to it by now.

"I need to take the needle out," he said.

I shook my head, forgetting my fragile consciousness; the world spun and rattled.

"Don't. It'll hurt a lot," I replied lamely. I registered slight surprise in his mismatched pupils.

"…Alright. We'll wait until we get back to the village."

"If we get back," Sasuke muttered.

"Just lie down," Kakashi soothed and guided me to the ground, next to Haku. "We'll handle this."

I slept.


	8. Hospital

**Team seven has returned to Konoha for emergency treatment.**

* * *

"I can't."

"Miss Korin, you have to let me take it out-" The nurse tried again.

"I…" My flushed face turned away. "Can you call Kakashi-sensei here?"

"You'd like him here for the procedure?"

"I like him to _do_ it," I said, swallowing.

The nurse pursed her lips. "Hatake-sensei is only cleared for battlefield ministrations. You have to be healed by a-"

"Please. It's not like he can mess _this_ up," I said, trying a brave smile, but only getting halfway.

"I don't doubt his abilities as a jonin-"

"It's not that. It's just… how much damage could he really do?" I jutted a thumb at the right side of face. The nurse was swayed - I saw her expression fall, and she clearly thought I'd put up a fight if I didn't get what I wanted. I was bluffing; I couldn't have thrown a thimble to the end of my bed, let alone fend off a team of persistent nurses.

"I will contact him. I believe he's finished giving his report to Hokage."

She left me alone.

My hands twisted in the sheets and tears dripped down my cheek. They had given me pills for the pain, but the absence of throbbing only made me more scared.

They'd told me eyes were sympathetic; if I wasn't careful, my other eye would go blind too.

I couldn't even process losing _one_. If the infection spread, if I wasn't careful, I'd be useless. I'd have to retire. I was fourteen, already half-blind. Who in their right mind would knowingly hire a half-blind ninja? No one.

And if I wasn't careful, I would be fully blind by next year.

Blind. Blind. I would be blind.

If I didn't spend every waking second worrying, squirting antibiotics into my eyes, wringing my hands, taking pills, I would go _blind_.

"Do we even have disability insurance?" I thought aloud in good humor.

I'd have to live with my parents.

No, no, I'd live with _Sasuke_ before that; I'd sooner dig a hole in the ground and live _there_ than move back in with mom and dad.

Maybe the Hokage could get me an apartment; ground-level, with a guide dog. Maybe I could live with the Inuzukas.

Kakashi was suddenly beside my bed.

"When did you get here?"

"You didn't see me come in," he said. It was true; the doorway was on my right, so I hadn't noticed his approach.

"Right. New blind spot," I muttered. He'd dressed for the occasion; his jonin vest was already hanging on the door, gloves and headband on the nightstand.

"It's not all bad," he said bracingly, "at least you get a scar out of it." He pointed to his own eye, and gave me a look, as if daring me to say something self-pitying.

I looked at him. "Sure."

The nurses had entered too; one rolled a work station next to him, a grave look on her face. Kakashi's face was, traditionally, unreadable, but even his black eye had glazed over.

He pulled on a pair of latex gloves and showed me a needle.

"This is local anesthetic. It will numb the area of injection."

He put it down, and picked up a pair of pills.

"This is general anesthetic. It will knock you out."

He was giving me a choice.

"I hate needles," I whispered. He nodded and held out the pills.

"But I don't want to go under, either."

I couldn't go to the darkness. I'd been once; I didn't need a return trip.

"You should pick one," he said, voice heavy. "It's going to hurt."

"I'll be fine. Just do it quickly," I said. "I promise not to scream too loudly." The bravado rang false, but he put the pills back.

"Okay. You'll need this," he pulled out a small piece of rubber that made my stomach sink - a mouthguard. I put it in and sat back. I shut my left eye.

"Count for me," he said.

I nodded.

"Three." My heart raced. "Two." My body rebelled with every fiber of its musculature against my next word. "One."

The needle was torn from my eye, and I broke my promise. I screamed, as best I could through the mouthguard, a strange, high, gurgling. If Kakashi hadn't quickly disposed of the needle and held my arms down, I would've attacked him, or clawed the wound as I cried.

"Very good, Hika," he said, sounding distant, torn up. "Relax, relax." His Sharingan opened and the beads spiraled, twirled, spun, until my heartbeat synchronized with its cycles.

"Now for the hard part," he said. It sounded like a grimace.

"Surgery," I whimpered.

"Don't worry," he soothed, "I'm not going to put you under, you're just going to dream."

His Sharingan blurred, and I fell backward.

* * *

I drifted sluggishly between images of peaceful hillsides, windswept forests, sweeping waves, a Zen garden…

I reached out for the garden, and advanced with lead legs. I was aware of my body as a concept, and with great effort stepped across stones, sat in the middle of an eddy of sand. I breathed deep, eyes surveying the landscape. Green and simple, lined with commonplace trees, snow-capped mountains set in the background. It was like a scene from an ukiyo-e painting.

A smile settled on my face. Legs crossed, I put my hands on my knees and thought of nothing but the motionless natural setting.

* * *

"Hey, she's waking up!"

"Shut up, loser, she's supposed to be sleeping for the next few days!"

"They said "resting". She's been asleep for a whole day already."

"Exactly, that means she needs to recover. Let's go."

"I'm gonna stay - Hika! Hey, Hika! Are you awake?"

My eye cracked open, crusty from being shut so long. I moved to rub it, but when I lifted my arm into sight it was covered with needles. My heart jumped and I stiffened. I felt a deep need to scratch the needles out; the skin at the site was tender and prickling.

Naruto, a yellow blot of spikes in my fuzzy vision, grasped my hand.

"Hey, it's good to see you," he said. I winced at the meaning of his statement, and touched my right eye with my free hand. Thick gauze wrapped sideways around my head, thickest over the eye. I felt the thing, still in its socket, like a scab or sore.

"Good to see you too," I said grimly. "Or, half-see you, I guess."

"I'll tell the doctors you're awake," Sasuke's voice said at my right. I turned my head a few extra degrees to see him leave.

"Can you help me sit up?" I asked Naruto. The blond spikes nodded, and his hand slid behind my back. I rose slow and steady, a grunt escaping my throat.

"Are you okay?"

I gave a brave grimace. "Fine."

"I'm sorry; it's a stupid question," he said and hung his head. He knew what the question sounded like when you were at the receiving end of it. When somebody asks you if you're okay, it's really a test of trust. They're not asking if you're doing okay, because they know you aren't; they're really asking if you trust them enough to share your problems.

Naruto had always been a loner; the swing outside the academy doors belonged to him in all but name. Parentless, friendless, and brainless, he would've exceeded all expectations by just being mediocre. But in the eyes of the village he was a special case, somehow. They were determined to hate him; I wasn't. I had no right to think badly of someone with his past.

And, of course, I hadn't forgotten about his battle with Haku.

Seeing me hurt, he'd snapped, and released a monster - the monster everyone said he was.

If he was a monster for caring about me, the village could burn to the ground.

"Naruto, you should know something," I said. Blue eyes gleamed at me.

"You're the best friend I've ever had."

The beautiful, bright orbs teared, and he shook. Naruto's shoulders heaved a sob. He embraced me and I hugged back.

"Also, there's something else."

He pulled back. I'd kept this secret long enough.

Sasuke, trailing a group of nurses and our sensei, burst back into the room and I almost cursed out loud.

The nurses took note of my vitals, examined the IV needles, and were gone as quickly as they had arrived. Kakashi-sensei, in headband and vest, sat in full view of my unharmed eye.

"Hi," I greeted. It was close to a growl, and Kakashi didn't miss it.

"Would you like us to come back later?"

I paused, looked at the three of them individually, and tried to calm the rising frequency of heartbeats in my chest.

"No. I have something to say to you three."

"Oh?" Kakashi rose a silver eyebrow.

I stared pointedly at him. His eye squinted sympathetically as my heart started to pound louder. Before my body could rebel against my next words, I pushed them out:

"Guys, I'm… gay."

Their lack of reaction was anticlimactic and disappointing, but not unexpected.

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked. "It sounds kinda cool." I flushed beet purple.

"It means I like girls, not guys."

"You don't like me?" he asked. His face fell and I waved frantically.

"No, no, Naruto not like that - don't cry, please! It literally just means I want to date women, not men! Just think of me as another bro!" I hurried.

"Oh. Okay; I guess that makes sense," he said in an abrupt change of mood. He looked ponderous now, hand on his chin, and he smiled. Sasuke looked determinedly apathetic.

"Whatever," he muttered. I couldn't help being a little offended, but I didn't push it. The attitude was just for show, since he already knew.

Kakashi remained silent, even stoic, as Naruto ran at the mouth to emote everything from impassioned defense to glee.

"I can't believe you're different, just like me," he grinned.

"Okay, you two, Hika needs her rest," Kakashi said. It sounded like a diversionary tactic, but that suspicion evaporated when I looked him in his black eye. Pity, or something like it, shined there, and sent a pang of resentment through my recovering stomach.

They left, Kakashi shutting the door behind them.

* * *

Hours after the sun set, a familiar presence woke me.

"Are you sure?" my sensei asked, quiet and serious.

"About what?" I replied. I sat up and didn't look at his silhouette in the window. I didn't mention hospital protocol about visiting hours.

His silence spoke a clear answer.

"Yes, I'm sure. There was a girl at the academy." I didn't elaborate - the implication was there.

Kakashi said nothing for a long time, no doubt drawing up a speech about the ramifications of my condition in a place as judgmental as Konoha.

"I wish you had told me sooner," he said.

"I tried." Tears pressed behind both eyes. I gathered the sheets in tight fists.

"Hika," he said, and it sounded like an plea. I looked up. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

His eye bored into me, then drifted to the floor. "For everything you had to go through; your childhood must have been difficult. Now this," he said. My blind eye pulsed with blood.

"Don't… don't feel sorry for me, please."

"This isn't pity. It's empathy," he asserted. "I know what it's like to have bad shit happen to you."

It was the first time I'd heard him curse; the word left a deep impression in my gut. He leaned back out the window to leave.

"Hika," he said, "if you confide in anyone else, and they hurt you in some way, _any_ way, I'll make sure they live to regret it."

He said it with such poorly-concealed vitriol that I felt the need to hug him, cry, and laugh all at once. _He doesn't hate me; he wants to _protect_ me._

Lips trembling, I managed to shoot back:

"You'll have to get in line."

He chuckled and dropped out.


	9. An Encounter

Free to go at last, I pulled on my clothes and said my goodbyes to the loyal nurses. I wouldn't miss them, or the needles in my arms.

Despite their protests, I leapt from the window onto the street and headed for the training grounds. I had missed a week, which was to be expected, but if I wanted to go on missions any time in the near future, I'd need to get used to my new blind spot. My depth perception was royally fucked, too; I had to walk down the street with one hand on the wall like a damn toddler and I could barely anticipate the movements of the people around me. I tightened my headband.

I would have gotten some weird looks with ten pounds of gauze on my face, so I took a page out of Kakashi's book and tied my Shinobi headband around the dead eye. I convinced myself it looked stylish.

I passed the ramen shop and almost said hi to Naruto, but I decided not to; his energy was too much for me so early in the morning.

The grounds were always empty this time of day. It gave me great relief; no one would be standing around, watching the freak try to relearn taijutsu.

I faced a tree, and wrapped my forearms in boxing tape.

"Put 'em up," I said. I raised my hands in a loose guard, and threw a punch. The impact jarred my elbow and rattled the tree. I couldn't help a smirk.

"Not bad."

A brutally honest thought sparked in my head: this was what I feared losing. The fight, the _good_ kind of hurt, the flow of adrenaline, the balance of body and soul.

I couldn't lose that feeling.

I ran through every combination I could think of, mixing kicks and jabs with knees and headbutts like my life depended on the never-ending sequences of motion.

* * *

Before graduation, students lived at the Academy or home. I'd chosen the Academy for very personal reasons; those reasons became evident once again the second I walked through the front door of my parents' house.

Two things happened at that precise moment: my mother flew at me, and tried to pry off my headband to examine my eye - in her words, she had "much more experience than those whore kunoichi at the hospital". And second, my father started to rant about "that dangerous Uzumaki brat".

"I'll speak to the Hokage," he said with considerable authority that he absolutely did not have. "We'll get you out of that squad no matter what it costs us."

"Don't move, honey, let me look at it - oh, those nurses could take a lesson in binding wounds, I tell you-"

"-Absolutely unsafe, a disgrace to the village - no, the nation!"

"It doesn't look quite that bad; are you sure they tried everything?"

"-Give that flea-bitten rat a piece of my mind-"

"Come into the light, let me get a better look at it-"

"-The arrogant man; clearly doesn't that little beast is a threat; just look at her face!"

Escaping this house had been difficult enough the first time. Now, I would have to do it again, with a handicap - there was next to no chance they'd let me leave the room, let alone the village, after this.

"Guys," I tried, but it was futile. Dad was well into his tirade, proceeding so gracefully down a series of slippery slopes that it seemed a shame to stop him. My mother was fussing, but not doing any actual harm, so I let her hands fumble over my blind eye. I sighed and settled into a chair, and prepared myself for a long night.

* * *

The house had finally settled for the night. I snuck out through my bedroom window, out onto the patio. A warm breeze stirred my hair as I sped off for the training ground.

* * *

"Hika, you look so tired, are you sure you're getting enough sleep?" my mother asked. I set my bowl down and gave her a good, honest nod.

"Of course I am." I picked up my pack and left for more training.

The tree looked like it was peeling away at my constant assault. I smiled at the thinned bark and let loose another punch. The solid surface jarred all the way up to my shoulder. Pulling back, I saw a spot of blood under the bandages. Definitely a bruised knuckle. The sight made me huff and unwrap the tape - slowly, the damage revealed itself to me, and I cursed my stubbornness. My hand was all but mangled with purple splotches and rubbed-red skin; the nails were chipped or worn down, palm bleeding from clutching my fist so tight.

"You should be taking better care of yourself."

I started. Kakashi-sensei's voice drew my sight up. Had he been sitting in the tree the whole time?

"How long have you been here?"

"In this world? Twenty-eight long years," he waxed dramatically. "Oh, did you mean the tree? For a few hours."

I hadn't noticed him; perhaps my eyesight really hadn't improved.

"But I _am_ a jonin," he said, as if he read my mind, "so I'm good at observing while remaining unseen."

I wrapped my arms behind my back and avoided his gaze.

"Don't stop on my account," he said, likely with a smirk. All of a sudden I was very conscious of the blood pulsing through my fingers. I pulled out more tape and began again. The first punch was too strong and bark ground angrily into my skin.

Kakashi hopped down and took my hands. A soft glow of green reduced the damage underneath and left a tingle in its wake.

"You want a moving target?" he asked suddenly.

"You offering?"

He moved to the clearing, hands in pockets, and faced me. I breathed and took a simple stance, hands open. I rushed at him, lashed out and felt the satisfying hit in my shin. He responded with a light jab, followed by a quick reverse; I slipped away from both and aimed a shot at his left side. My stomach surged as I fell forward and slammed against the ground. I caught my breath back after several gasps of air, and tried to figure out what I'd done wrong. _I missed._

"My depth perception is shit," I spat at the dirt, not so much an excuse or explanation as it was a tragic statement of truth. I had trouble processing everything with only one eye.

"And what are you going to do about that?" Kakashi asked, shadow falling over me. He had his book out. I swallowed the bitter taste of dirt mingled with shame and glared. Then I shut my eye.

I leapt at him and punched. He caught my shaking fist.

"I'm going to keep trying," I growled.

An idea appeared. I extended my chakra over the ground in a razor-thin film, and draped it over Kakashi like a sheet.

"There you are," I smirked. The Kakashi in front of me was a shadow clone - the real one was in a tree thirty paces away. I shoved the clone away and took off for the forest, whipped out a kunai, and kicked off with my feet. I flew through the air and landed on his branch. I focused and drew my chakra tighter over him, making his body clearer to my sixth sense.

The kunai flew and embedded itself in the tree, parting his hair.

"Interesting technique," he appraised. "You won't be able to keep it up for long, but still… impressive."

He spoke true - I let the chakra dissipate and fell to the grass below.

"It's… like an extension of my vision," I wheezed and rolled on my back. "It's better than one eye, at least."

"Where did you get the idea?" He slid down and helped me up.

I grimaced. "When Haku did this," I draped a hand over my headband, "I couldn't see. I wanted to know what was happening, so I felt around with some chakra. When you used your lightning, it shocked me - I actually felt it."

Kakashi pondered that. "It seems you have excellent chakra sense."

"I've never been good at that before." Or much else, it seemed.

"You should return to the village. You're exhausted," he advised, and I obeyed. Maybe I could finally rest easy, now that I could see better.

I ran across an interesting sight on my way home: a blond idiot and three kids, making belligerent eye contact with two Suna ninja. I approached them carefully.

"What have we got here? A little genin and his little friends?" A guy in a weird cloak and purple face paint said in a scary, smug voice.

Naruto and his child sidekicks were distraught. I said what comforting things I could, and put my body between them and the Suna ninja. I put my hand on my holster.

"Hey, asshole, quit scaring the kids," I shot at the hooded guy. "How about you pick on someone who can fight back?"

"Great idea," he said. He took the body-shaped package from his back and slammed it on the ground. It was his height, wrapped in linen like a mummy. I clapped my hands together into "mi" in a threatening gesture. It struck me then that this wouldn't help relations between Suna and Konoha, but I struck the ground with both hands despite that thought. The ground cracked lengthwise and put a thick line between us.

"Cross _that_ and I won't be accountable for my actions," I said. It was a poor bluff, and he didn't appear to believe me. He gave me a smile that twisted his face paint, and started to unwrap the body, piece by piece.

A pebble smacked him square in the forehead, and I traced its trajectory with my eyes. A bored Sasuke was sitting on a near tree, tossing a rock up and down in his left hand. He swung down.

"Leave it, losers," he said. I was grateful Sasuke had intervened, even if he'd only done it to prove he was more badass than the Suna ninja, who were furious. The painted ninja took a stance and was about to do something (throw the body?), when a soft, rasping voice interrupted.

"Kankuro, don't bother with them. You're an embarrassment to our village."

A red-haired ninja was hanging upside down from the nearby tree, obscured by its shadow.

"Gaara," Kankuro gulped. The shadowed ninja, Gaara, drew everyone's gaze like a black hole. His eyeliner brought attention to his hollow, ghost-like pupils. His presence was corrupting, chakra extending in tendrils like a thousand tiny snakes. I stepped back to avoid their grasp and trod on Moegi's feet. His eyes turned lazily to me and my fluttering heart stopped. I shielded myself with some of my own chakra in a skin-tight suit. My center of gravity was stronger, and I instantly felt better.

Gaara dissolved into sand and his body reformed in front of us. He turned his back. He had a large gourd strapped to his back, and it was a safe bet that, since Suna was in the middle of a desert, it was full of water. But then, we had water here too, so it didn't make much sense.

"You - the guy with the gourd on your back. Who are you?" Sasuke asked.

"I am Gaara. Of the desert. Who are you?"

"Sasuke. Uchiha."

"And I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" came Naruto's uninvited self-introduction.

"Boy, you can feel the testosterone," I jibed. An uneasy smile twitched on my lips.

"Yeah? Well who are you?" the blond lady ninja sneered. I pulsed my chakra, but kept my anger in check.

"Don't pay attention to me. I'm nobody," I shrugged and waved her off. The best way to diffuse a self-confident brat was to brush them off like a piece of lint. It was a lesson I'd learned the hard way at the academy.

"Kankuro, Temari, let's go," Gaara said and they began to walk away.

"Wait," I called. "You're Suna ninja. Why are you in Konoha?"

"We were invited," Temari smirked and held up a certified passport.

* * *

"I wonder what he wants," I said aloud, but I didn't expect a response. We sat on the bridge, waiting for our sensei.

"He called us for a reason; I'm willing to bet it has something to do with those Suna ninja," Sasuke said. Naruto had nothing to say, which was unusual for him. He glared at the ground, grinding his teeth.

"Hello, all," Kakashi's voice appeared from atop the gate of the bridge. "Sorry I'm late. Afraid I got lost on the path of life." My head jerked in his direction.

"Hey, what's the deal with the Suna ninja?" I asked, the burning question bubbling over my lips.

"Good afternoon to you too," he retorted. I rolled my eyes. "I wanted to meet to tell you I registered you three for the chunin exams." He handed each of us an application form.

"Oh _that's_ it," I said. "That makes sense."

"Chunin exams?" Naruto broke his silence.

"You're repeating me, Naruto."

"Do you think we're ready?" I asked. Kakashi nodded.

"The chunin exams," I said to Naruto, "are a series of challenges used to evaluate genin. They decide whether we're ready to be promoted. If we pass, we become chunin."

"Oh, that sounds pretty simple."

I snorted.

"They're _hard_, Naruto; they can destroy you psychologically. I took it once. Didn't even get past the first test. It wasn't my fault - my teammate forfeited, so the whole team was disqualified," I said bitterly.

"Wait, so if just one person decides they can't do it, the whole team gets cut?" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief.

"Teamwork is super important in these exams, and if we don't trust each other totally, we'll fail," I said.

Kakashi nodded. "I want you three to think very hard about your decision to take this exam. You haven't been genin for very long, so I understand if you don't think you're up for it. Registration is at the Academy - room 301. It starts at 2 o'clock, so you've got a couple of hours."

"What are we supposed to do until then?" Naruto asked.

"Take a walk. Think about your decision," Kakashi shrugged. He went up in smoke.

* * *

I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I went back home. I hoped my parents would have some helpful advice for me.

"Come in, hun," my mom said. I slid off my sandals and plastered a smile on my face.

"I wanted to ask your advice on something-"

"The chunin exams, we know. That jonin came by," my dad, sitting on the couch with a book in his hand, said.

"Kakashi-sensei told you guys?"

"Well of course, he knows it's a very difficult choice!" mom said.

"What do you guys think about it? I want to take the test. I think I can do it this time," I said, hoping I sounded more hopeful that I felt.

"You're gonna crush those little fuckers," dad said nonchalantly. He took a swig of bourbon.

"You sure you should be drinking that?" I asked cautiously.

"It's 5 o'clock somewhere," he shrugged. I wondered if he was having trouble at the store.

"Hun, you're going to pass," mom said. "Don't worry."

I smiled and took that as a good omen.

Then she said this: "Make sure you get that Nine-Tails brat, especially."

The smile slid from my face like the raindrop off a roof. _Please, leave it alone._ I prayed.

"Yeah," my dad added, "that little bastard needs a boot to the head. I'm betting on the Uchiha."

Mom cleared her throat.

"And you, of course," he said with a hasty grin.

I grimaced. "They're both on my team, guys, so maybe you could shut up."

That's what I wanted to say, but I bit my lip and looked down.

"I should go," I said. "Thanks, guys."

I would register, but I didn't want my parents to have anything to do with it; I would do it because I believed I could win.

* * *

**Next chapter will be super-long - the beginning of the Chunin Exams.**


	10. 10

**I streamlined this chapter; no nosy Iruka trying to qualify Team 7, no pissing contest between Lee and Sasuke.**

* * *

The building itself wasn't intimidating. It was the academy: a building with a green, square face and a large leaf symbol over the door; it was familiar and nostalgic, but this time, we were going up to the third floor. We went in the front door and up a flight of stairs. There was a mass of people crowded around room 301.

"I guess everyone's registering in that room," I said.

But instead of entering, everyone was gathered around a fight. A strapping young boy in a green leotard fell against a wall, and his attacker gloated loudly.

"Maybe you kids should just go back to preschool; this test is for _real_ genin, weakling." He aimed another kick at the downed kid and I almost stepped in; Sasuke beat me to the punch.

"Hey, asshole," he interjected, "why don't you drop the tough guy routine? The genjutsu, too. It's painfully obvious."

What?

I gasped a small "oh"; we'd only gone up one flight of stairs, so it wasn't the third floor, and this wasn't room 301. The genin sniffed and threw a kick at Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke matched with his own.

Before they made contact, the green ninja got to his feet and caught a shin in each hand. His face cleared of fear and now bore only solid determination. He released their legs.

Again, what?

His teammates looked disappointed.

"Lee, wasn't it _your _idea to hide our abilities?" the girl hissed. Her hair was pulled into two cute buns; I noticed she had two extra weapon pouches on her belt. I saw the boy next - his white, pupil-less eyes flicked toward me and Naruto in disdain.

"Drop the genjutsu," Sasuke repeated. The genin with the red nose made a reluctant sign. The air shimmered like a mirage, and the sign changed from 301 to 201.

"Let's go," Sasuke said, turning to leave. I was still trying to process the events of the past few seconds; I had the distinct impression that my brain lagged behind the others.

"Wait," the white-eyed boy started. Sasuke stopped. "What is your name?"

Poor Naruto thought the boy was talking to him and piped up, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

"I was speaking to your teammate. I don't _care_ who you are."

"It's common courtesy to say your own name before demanding someone else's," Sasuke said.

The boy considered it. "Neji Hyuga."

I recalled the name from a history text; the Hyuga were an ancient, powerful clan; a find-and-replace for the Uchihas, right down to the powerful eyes.

"I'm Sasuke. Uchiha."

_He must really like saying his name like that. _

It was then I realized the green boy was looking at me.

"And _I_ would like to know _your_ name."

"Oh - me? I'm nobody," I said. He shook his head and took my hand. He used the same boxing tape I did.

"No, you are not," he insisted. "Everyone is somebody! I must know your name!" The determination in his eyes was highlighted by his thick eyebrows. I felt like I was looking into the sun.

"Hika Korin," I said, if only to get him to stop holding my hand.

"Hika Korin, I would like to ask you out on a date!"

A fuse blew in my head. "Are you joking? Please, tell me you're joking." I regretted the words instantly, but he took it in stride.

"Absolutely not! I would consider it a great honor!"

"Um... why?"

Naruto grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs before Lee could reply, and I almost did a dance on the landing in relief.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"No problem, he seems like a real weirdo," Naruto grimaced, though they might've had more in common than he realized. Dressed in one color, energetic, oblivious-

I saw a familiar sprout of silver hair in front of the real room 301.

"Sensei?" I asked. He jutted his chin in greeting.

"Glad to see you all made it."

"Are those the kinda guys we'll be up against?" Sasuke asked - a strange occurrence in its own right. Since when did Sasuke care about the competition?

"I wouldn't worry. Regardless of the circumstances, you all deserve to be here. Hika. Naruto. Sasuke. I'm very proud of you. I wish you the best of luck." Kakashi opened the door for us.

When we stepped into the registration room, it was already filled to the brim with potential candidates, and every one of them stared directly at us. The door closed behind us.

"So it begins," I muttered, stomach dropping a few inches.

A sudden irritating presence made itself known by tackling Sasuke.

"My dear Sasuke! It's so good to see you and your dark, sexy good looks!" Ino Yamanaka squealed. Sasuke threw her off. Her ponytail twirled around and she shot me a familiar look.

"Drop dead," I muttered. Her sharp eyes honed in on me.

"You want to repeat that, little dyke?"

"I said drop dead, fuckface," I repeated, a little louder.

She was startled, and I felt a small (very small) pang of guilt. But I'd silently endured her insults for years and owed her a few of my own. Shikamaru and Choji showed up right behind her.

"She just cursed at me!" she complained to them. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, Ino, but you deserved it," he said lazily. I hadn't expected him to come to my defense; he always slept through class, and hadn't paid attention to anyone. But apparently it didn't take much time to learn to despise Ino.

Team 8 walked over to us from their lonesome corner. Hinata said a shaky "hello" to Naruto he didn't hear. I smiled and offered her a hand. She took it.

"How are you?" I asked.

"F-fine," she whispered. Akamaru barked at me from Kiba's head and I pulled my hand away in a surrendering motion.

"She's okay, Akamaru," Kiba said and pat his puppy on the head. He surveyed the room like a hunter. "This is gonna be fun. The nine rookies together again. Well, until one or more of us fails."

_Well, you didn't have to say that last part..._

"Can't wait," I said viciously and narrowed my eyes at Ino.

"You guys might want to keep it down," another genin walked up to us. He had large glasses and a silver ponytail. "You're drawing a lot of attention."

I recognized him, vaguely; he'd taken the test before.

"Who the hell even are you?" Ino asked.

"My name's Kabuto Yakushi. But you shouldn't be worrying about me," he gestured to the room with a hand. I'd been aware people were staring, but now it was painfully obvious. I recognized the Suna-nin in the crowd. "Worry about those rain ninja. Everyone's on edge, but them especially. Their village isn't the most hospitable in the world."

Kabuto took out a card - on it was a small map of the continent.

"These ninja are from all over, and to be honest, in four years I've never seen a more promising batch. Especially those guys from the Sound village - Otogakure. It's a small village, only recently appeared, so no one knows much about it."

"Kabuto, right? You've taken the test before," I said. "I saw you last time. You flushed out in the first round."

"So did you, as I recall. Hika Korin." He pulled out a card. I started. "I have every candidate's information on these special cards. I've taken the test seven times, so they're pretty extensive."

The card was blank at first, but after a second, my picture appeared, along with a few stats and charts. Morbid curiosity welled up in the pit of my stomach; I wanted to see what it said.

"You're fourteen, well-rounded with excellent taijutsu, but you're not good with weapons. You like to fight with your eyes closed, so you clearly have good chakra sense. You graduated from the academy six months early. You took the test once before, but your teammate, Inoue Kicho, forfeited and your team was disqualified. Afterward you transferred to Kakashi Hatake's team, I assume because of friction. Seven D-rank missions, one C-rank."

I concealed my surprise. His information was painstakingly collected and thorough.

"Those cards - you've got everyone?" Sasuke asked. Kabuto nodded.

"Then I've got two people for you," Sasuke said. "A guy named Lee, and Gaara of the desert."

Kabuto expertly pulled out two more cards and showed Lee's stats first.

"Terrible with genjutsu and ninjutsu, but he's got some of the highest taijutsu scores I've ever seen." His scores were twice as high as my own. "His sensei is Might Gai. His teammates are Tenten and Neji Hyuga."

Neji _Hyuga_. Hearing the name again made it click into place; he had the same white eyes as Hinata. They were related. That wouldn't be easy...

He put Lee's card aside and put a finger on the second. Its graphics popped in a moment later.

"Gaara… He did a B-rank as a genin!" Kabuto exclaimed. "But other than that, he's a total mystery, except… every mission he completed, he came back without a scratch."

"Yeah right," I huffed in a bout of uncharacteristic skepticism. Maybe the stress was getting to me.

"What the hell is with this guy?" Shikamaru fretted.

"Gaara of the desert," Sasuke mused. "He's no joke."

_If I didn't know him better, I'd say he was worried._

On the surface, Naruto looked frightened as well, but I'd been his teammate for a good few months, and I could tell he was bursting with irritation. Why? I had no idea; an educated guess put the blame on Sasuke.

He pointed an accusing finger at the ninja crowding around us, and the room grew quiet as he shouted:

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to beat every last one of you to a freaking pulp!"

Inwardly, I swore and pulled out my hair, and cried a little bit, because now they were all staring at us with poisonous, cold, dead stares. I always fucking _hated_ that look.

Outwardly, I smiled. Ino almost had a stroke.

"Hey, dyke, get your _boyfriend_ to calm down and stop drawing attention to us!"

_I get the impression you don't know the definition of the word "dyke". Buy a dictionary._

"He's excited. Let him express himself," I defended. I put an arm around him and addressed the room. "Sorry everybody, this one's a little mouthy." I smirked.

"Guys, I don't think this is helping," Kabuto said all of a sudden. "See the Oto-nin? They aren't exactly the friendliest-"

A flash in the corner of my eye.

The ninja ran at Kabuto and I heard the swish of an outstretched fist. The displacement of air was accompanied by something else - something light, high-pitched. A burst of sound. The punch missed, but the frequency didn't.

I watched Kabuto's glasses shatter. He fell to the ground and hacked up a spot of blood.

"So that's why they're called sound ninja," I said under my breath.

His attacker was covered in head-to-toe bandages, and he wore a strange glove on his arm.

"You should speak carefully about us Oto-nin," he growled.

"Duly noted," Kabuto coughed.

The bandaged guy turned his ugly mug to me, gave me a good stink eye, and returned to his seat.

I approached Kabuto, not to offer help but to investigate the damage. It had messed up his insides, knocked something out of place for an instant like a momentary hernia.

Next moment, the doors were thrown open by a man with hideous facial scars and a large, black overcoat.

"Candidates," he boomed, "take your seats. The written test will begin in thirty seconds - anyone not seated will be disqualified!"

I bolted to a seat, Kabuto forgotten; Naruto and Sasuke disappeared from my view to find places of their own.

"Pass these down the rows," the scarred man yelled as he crossed to the front of the room. He threw a pile of papers over our heads. I snatched one from the air and pulled out a pencil. I automatically wrote my name in the top right corner and looked it over.

"Woah boy," I muttered. I saw complex diagrams - vectors and variables criss-crossed the page. There were nine questions, and by the looks of them, they were hard as _fuck_.

"As you can see, there are nine questions on this test. There is also a tenth bonus question which I will give to you once your time is up. Unlike the tests you're probably used to, each person _starts_ with ten points. For each question you get wrong, a point will be deducted from your score. You will be evaluated based on the total score of each of your teammates."

I almost groaned, but my body was still catching up to the situation. Naruto was awful at written tests, and I wasn't great either. Our only hope was Sasuke. Boy was that a sad state of affairs...

"The sentinels you see around the room are there to monitor you for signs of cheating."

I searched the room - there were chunin stationed around the edges, surrounding us.

"For every instance of cheating they see, they will write your name on their clipboards and you will lose two points. If you are caught five times, you will be disqualified. Furthermore, if one person fails, _the whole team goes with them_."

"Shit," I grunted as the class gasped collectively. I put a hand over my covered eye; my newest tic. A phantom pain (at least I think that's what it was, since the nerves were dead) filled the right half of my skull like a balloon.

"This is just like last time."

"You've taken this before?" the genin on my right asked. I looked - I was sitting next to Neji Hyuga's female teammate. She sounded aggressively intrigued under her outer shell of apathy.

"Yes. My other team… we were disqualified," I said, and almost added, "_because one of us couldn't cut it." _She didn't look back at me; I saw her grit her teeth.

"If you're clumsy enough to get caught, you don't deserve to be here," the instructor shouted. I jumped. "If you think you have what it takes, then show us how exceptional you are."

He paused. "Begin!"


	11. 10 part 2

**Apologies for the impromptu hiatus. End of the school year and all that. Senior exams are a bitch.**

**Expect more regular updates now that the summer has started.**

* * *

The rustle of pens on paper filled the room. I tried to calm my quaking body and breathe deep. I stared at the first question. It asked to decipher a code, something I'd never done before. I transposed the numbers with letters, rotated the letters that I got by one - by two - by ten, used trial-and-error keywords. Fifteen minutes ticked by, but nothing worked, and the clock ticked on.

"Wow; this is impossible," I muttered. I saw the girl on my right playing with a kunai; probably a nervous tic. I panicked and glanced furtively around. Naruto was in the front row next to Hinata; he hadn't even picked up his pencil. Sasuke was to my left, looking mildly concerned with his hands clasped in front of his face.

_Come on guys; get at least one right._ I prayed.

_Bzzz._ The sound was unmistakable - the winding of a steel string. I strained my eyes.

The girl genin had a string around each finger and was manipulating… something. I flicked my eye up and saw a mirror attached to the overhead light.

_How did she get that there?_ I wondered and gulped. She fixed it to reflect the test of the student in front of us.

I sighed in relief when I realized he'd already filled out the first three answers; I quickly memorized them and looked down again. I filled in the first two boxes; halfway through the third, I felt a prickle sneak up my neck. I tried to keep my face from reddening. I hated cheating, _hated_ it, but if I didn't do it this once, the team would suffer.

I looked back up to check the answers again, and found that the mirror had changed to reflect a student with a blank paper. The girl had angled it ever so slightly so I couldn't see the answers from my position. I swallowed hard and glanced at her. She winked.

"Fuck you too, then," I muttered loud enough for her to hear. I ran a hand through my hair.

At least I had the first three answers. As long as I kept my head down and looked innocent, I would be fine.

In every class I'd taken, cheating would have gotten my test ripped in half, but for this one, the rules had changed. They only took off two points, and the threat of getting disqualified was only for really bad test-takers or… inept cheaters? Naruto was fucked if that was true.

The instructor last time had pulled a similar stunt; we'd been put in a room and told to formulate a battle plan for a siege scenario, given a certain set of criteria. It was worth 100 points and we had to use at least three pages for our plan. Inoue choked five minutes in; I hadn't come up with anything either, but I was still mad at him.

The proctors then had said something about cheating - what was it?

"_Use every tool in your arsenal, including other people." _

I considered the criteria again. Lack of serious punishment for cheating. Team scoring. Super difficult questions - way too difficult for genin, even if we _had_ experience with fucking Newtonian Mechanics.

"_Use every tool, including other people…"_

_Maybe they don't want us to figure these out. They want us to cheat off each other. _I thought.

I had already done that with moderate success. But what about Naruto? I couldn't get a message to him, and it was doubtful Sasuke could either. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.

_Please, Buddha, give me strength. And maybe give Naruto an answer - just one._

I would have to compensate for his low score, because I knew that even if he figured out the real goal of the test, he'd never get away with cheating. This was the guy who wore a bright orange jumpsuit on "covert" missions. He wasn't a master of subtlety, and we couldn't expect him to understand the questions on his own.

"Candidate 39!" a sentinel cried, breaking the tense silence of the room. A few people, including me, jumped a foot in the air.

"You fail! Candidates 24 and 12 - you fail!"

Three terrified genin stood and walked out of the room.

"Candidate 32 fail! 11 and 37 fail!" another sentinel said. I gulped as three more left in a huff. I didn't know any of them.

I checked the clock - fifteen minutes left. I'd have to find a way to look off someone else's paper.

I shut my eyes and pulsed my chakra. The genin in front of us had finished - I felt his steady heartbeat and lack of movement. I turned my chakra to another genin two rows behind me who was fervently writing.

I let my fingers follow the movements of his pen.

He finished the question, and judging from the words I had written, it was the answer to number 8 - how to fend off attacks from seven directions and a limited allotment of chakra.

_Four points._

The next one he did was the answer to 5. It detailed all possible scenarios if the village ninja force were reduced to a skeleton crew and the Hokage was critically injured. It was lengthy and I didn't have faith in half the situations I listed.

"How would a half-blitz, half-defense tactic work?" I murmured. "And why would people even consider fleeing the village?"

"Time's up!" the instructor shouted, slamming his hand on the chalkboard. "Pencils down!"

_Five points._ I finished with five points. It was a good score, considering…

"I will now give you the tenth and final question. But first, there are some more rules you need to know."

_Goddamn it not more rules._

"First, it is up to each of you whether or not to take it. If you elect not to, regardless of how you answered the other nine questions, you and your team will receive a zero, and be disqualified. However," he said over a smatter of protests, "if you decide to answer, and get it wrong, you will be barred from taking the chunin exam ever again."

_What?_

"That's ridiculous!" Kiba shot to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at the instructor.

"Do you want to get your team thrown out? Sit down!" the instructor commanded.

Kiba sat, and my heart sank.

"If you want to remain genin for the rest of your lives, feel free to remain here."

_It's a challenge. It has to be._ I thought in a blind panic. Hopefully my face was as frozen as it felt.

"But if you want to take the test again next year, raise your hand now. You will not be penalized."

_Guys, you aren't raising your hands-do you think we can do this?_ Sasuke wasn't looking at me.

"Last chance," he said. "If you quit now, no one will fault you for it."

Finally I caught Sasuke's glance. Decision time. Did I want to get disqualified again?

_No._ I shook my head ever so slightly. He nodded back. _I don't think I can move anyway. My ass feels like it's stuck to the seat._

We looked to Naruto.

Slowly, his hand rose.

My lip curled. _Failed again. Goddamn it, Naruto, I thought I fucking _had _it this time! Fucking third time's the charm I guess. _But I knew it wasn't his fault; he was one-third of the team. He had just as much of a say in group decisions as I did. He had made his choice.

The sudden slam of his palm on the desk made me start. He stood up and opened his mouth.

"Don't underestimate me!"

_What the hell?_

"I don't quit and I don't run! And I don't care if I get stuck as a genin the rest of my life - I'm still gonna be Hokage one day!"

_Naruto I could kiss you right now._ I thought through my disbelief.

The silence after that brash, purile, beautiful declaration was too much for me. I started to laugh; really just breathy, exasperated chuckles, but laughs nonetheless. I clapped a hand over my mouth. Kunai-girl gave me a weird look.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"He's such an idiot," I giggled.

The proctor, like me, started to smile.

"Are the rest of you so sure?"

No one raised their hands; on the contrary, they looked more determined than ever.

_If we fail, we fail together. Exactly like Kakashi's test._

"Very well!"

_Hold on - exactly like Kakashi's test?_

"Then it is my duty to inform all of you-"

_-No way-_

"You've all passed the first part of the Chunin exams!"

_I knew it! I fucking knew it! _

"You just wanted to see if we would stay!" I blurted. Instantly, I felt everyone's eyes on me.

"Yes."

My face went beet red, but I wasn't done shouting.

"So there is no tenth question!"

"Exactly!" he said with a shit-eating grin.

I slapped my forehead. It _had_ been a challenge - he'd been goading us, seeing if we would crack under pressure. Fucking figured. The test six months ago must've been just like it. _Fucking Inoue… If you had any balls I'd be a Chunin by now._

"Hold on! So the whole test was pointless?!" a Suna ninja yelled from the back.

"Oh no," the proctor replied. "We wanted to test how well you gathered information from those around you; essentially, we wanted you to cheat. But that information was meaningless if one person on the team didn't obtain it. That's why we scored you on a team basis - to test how well you worked together and separately. Would your determination crack under the pressure of failure? Did you have faith in the other members of your team? If you're sitting here now, it means your team survived by believing in the team as a whole, not only themselves."

_Which is why Inoue was a dickless little shithead. He didn't believe in us._

"The first nine questions tested your ability to cheat, and for good reason. Cheating clumsily leaves you and your team vulnerable to misinformation, and as a result, people can get hurt." He put a hand to his beanie-like forehead protector and pulled it off. Red, waxy burns covered a bare scalp.

"Success or failure often depends on how well you gather information. That is why we didn't disqualify you immediately for cheating - after all, how else were you supposed to answer such difficult questions?

"To be completely honest, I didn't expect so many of you to make it this far. I suppose all that's left now-"

The window shattered and a woman came barreling through, covered in shards of glass.

"Alright," she shouted, "listen up! You might've passed the first part of your exams, but that's no reason to get complacent! I'm running your second test - Anko Mitarashi! Get ready for the Forest of Death, maggots!"


	12. Forest of Death Part 1

"Who the hell is she?"

"Is she our next proctor?"

"Wh-where did she say we were going?"

"I think she said "forest of death"."

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock," I hissed at the genin. "Now shut it."

He gave me an indignant look, but shut his mouth. I returned my attention to the busty jonin at the front of the class. She had a bold presence, proud posture, and sturdy chakra. This was not somebody I wanted to piss off.

"You're early as usual, Anko," our proctor sighed.

"Shut it, Ibiki," came her good-natured reply. "I was just a little excited to tell these maggots what they're in for!" She grinned and puffed out her chest.

"Now, each team is gonna be stationed by an entrance to the forest. Your stations are assigned by team number, so listen carefully, because I don't like to repeat myself!"

She rattled off the teams and their corresponding stations; we all nodded in understanding, but the thing was, we had no idea where these stations were, or where the forest was.

"Report to your stations immediately; the rest of the rules will be explained to you there. The test starts at four. Don't be late!" And with that, she went up in a poof of smoke.

I swallowed; I needed to find that station the second we got out. Didn't want to incur her wrath if I could help it.

Our grim, scarred instructor - Ibiki - gave a sigh. Her antics must have been a regular occurrence.

"Sorry about that; I know you kids are still recovering from the first test. Anko isn't exactly…" he trailed off, then fixed his face back into a scowl.

"Alright, then. You heard the lady!" Ibiki said. "Get your asses in gear!"

Of the whole class, I was the first to stand up.

"Naruto, Sasuke," I called. We rushed out the door.

* * *

The rules were much more straightforward this time, and in a way, that made it a hell of a lot scarier.

We had an earth scroll.

We needed a heaven scroll.

Didn't matter how we got it. Stole it? Great. Killed another team? Even better.

If we arrived at the Forest Tower without a teammate, we were done; even if we had both scrolls.

"Oh yeah - don't try to read your scroll before you've got both of 'em, or you'll go blind!" the familiar voice of the busty, brash jonin rang out of the loudspeaker.

"Lovely," I muttered. The fact that this round was simpler changed the atmosphere completely; I could tell just by looking around that shit was real this time. No elaborate ruse, no deception, just get a damn scroll.

It meant everyone was a potential target, because at first glance, you couldn't tell if another team had a heaven or earth scroll - or which member was carrying it.

I thought of it as a really gruesome game of capture the flag where everyone had a flag - and access to dangerous weaponry. I hadn't ever played capture the flag, and the analogy didn't really hold up when I thought about it.

"Alright, maggots!" Anko's voice shocked me out of my reverie. "The second that gate opens, you run and you don't stop for anything!"

"Stick close, guys," I murmured. Naruto and Sasuke nodded their assent.

"Five!"

I put a hand to my headband.

"Four!"

A small, nagging pain in my dead eye.

"Three!"

I breathed deep.

"Two!"

_Keep me safe, Buddha, or I'll have a few choice words for you before I'm reincarnated._

"One!"

The gate swung open. We dashed wildly into the trees.

* * *

"I don't think anyone's following us," Naruto said, "Hika, we can stop now." How long had we been running? It had definitely been more than ten minutes. The forest was dishearteningly huge.

"Yeah." We landed in the shadow of a large tree and huddled close. "Okay, we need a heaven scroll. How do you guys think we should do this?"

Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked like he was trying to burn a hole in the grass with his eyes.

"Hey, don't think about it so hard," I said. "Naruto, what do you think?"

"I think it's pretty simple," he smiled. "Just take one."

"Well yeah, I mean, _how_?"

"Wait for an attack," Sasuke said. "I think it's our only option."

"Really?" I said in surprise. "I thought you'd want to charge in, throw caution-"

"No," he cut in, "we have to assess our own strengths first, and our environment. This is when we have to be the most careful."

"Okay," I nodded, still reeling from his reasonable response, "we'll stay back for now."

"I also think we should have a password," he continued as if I hadn't spoken, "just in case. Transformation jutsu is basic, but effective."

"Yeah, even _I _can do it," Naruto agreed. "My sexy jutsu always caught Iruka-sensei off guard; even the Third Hokage…"

"I've got a few password ideas," I chimed in. "We could even do a sentence - like, "fuck Zabuza" or something only we'd know the context of."

"Best to stay away from something in public record," Sasuke said.

"How about a book passage? I know a few obscure ones-"

"-But those would be too hard to remember," Naruto said. He wasn't wrong; under this much stress, remembering a book was like puzzling out a differential equation.

"How about a _memorable_ book," I grinned, cheeks flushing bright red. I couldn't stop a chuckle.

"What?"

"A passage from Icha Icha?"

That stunned them into silence for a few seconds.

"But none of us have read it-" Naruto started.

"I have."

"You _what_?"

"It's actually not that bad, plus most of the dialog is easy to remember-"

"Hika, we're not using porn as a passphrase."

* * *

We split up to survey the surrounding territory; just far enough to be out of sight of each other, but not so far that we'd be unable to hear a call for help. It was a shitty plan, but we didn't have a better one; we had to figure out where we were, or at the very least, if people were following us.

My sandals clacked lightly on a branch and I swung my head around. I pulsed my chakra and didn't detect any motion. Nobody nearby; at least for the moment. I shut my eye and focused. Still nothing. Either the forest was the size of a city, and everyone had already spread out to different areas, or something was seriously off.

A ripple disturbed my chakra - southwest, towards Naruto's position. We had agreed to stay put after finding a spot to survey, so he'd either forgotten, or he was in bad company.

After a soft dismount to the grass, I slid quickly from shadow to shadow, rushing southwest. Another ripple to my left told me Sasuke had made the same decision to head for Naruto.

_Please be okay. Please just be an idiot who can't follow directions._

I reached a small clearing lined with bushes. Sasuke appeared in full view of my left eye. A rustle of leaves made my chest rattle and freeze.

The blond, orange-suited dumbass came into the light, sighing with relief.

"Oh. Hey guys," he said, so insufferably casual I felt like caving his head in with a heavy stick.

"Naruto, we agreed to stay put! I thought you were in trouble!" I snarled.

"Sorry, I had to pee," he said, bashful hand behind his head.

"Idiot," Sasuke growled.

"Well, just to be safe, let's do the passphrase."

"Okay, okay," Naruto sighed.

I cleared my throat and started, as mechanically as possible:

"How can I express my love for you, my dearest Aiko?" I looked to Sasuke. "Next line." He could've set me on fire with the frustration in his black eyes.

"It runs deeper than the ocean, larger than the moon," he scowled.

We turned to Naruto, whose expression didn't change. "For your luscious figure sets ablaze all my worldly passions."

I blinked. _Wow. I picked the least racy passage in the book, and it still sounds hella embarrassing._

A shaky exhale. "Nice transformation jutsu. Did you learn from a retarded bullfrog?"

"Wait, what? But I got it right!" Naruto protested.

"Naruto may be a little pervy, but even he couldn't have made it through that sentence without blushing."

"Not just that," Sasuke said, "your shurikan holster is on the wrong side."

"Really?" I said. _I didn't even notice that. _"So… double awful, I guess. What did you do with Naruto?"

Fake Naruto smiled and licked his lips with a freakish, pink tongue. His body morphed - blond hair turning lank and black, spine elongating - until we were staring at a vaguely feminine grass-nin. My nose twitched in disgust.

"How about a deal?" she proposed. "Your earth scroll for my captive." She had a voice so cringe-worthy it could have turned Ibiki's stomach to mush.

"How-"

"We don't have an earth scroll," Sasuke said.

"Now, now," the grass-nin crooned, and put her pale hands together into "mi". Every neuron in my body locked at once, hand frozen on my holster, eye wide with fear. A quick glance to the side told me Sasuke was similarly trapped.

"Lying is for children, wouldn't you agree?" She approached us slowly, smile widening with each step. "I know you have an earth scroll. It's quite clear to me that even genin would not trust that brat with something so valuable. So, the real question is, which of you has it?"

Amused, olive eyes flicked between us.

A bead of sweat rolled down my temple, unchecked by my frozen hand. This woman looked like she was going to kill us. All we had to do was give her the scroll, and surely that wasn't worth dying over. Of course, valuing life over the mission is what she was counting on; clearly she'd manipulated people before, because she was fucking _great_ at it. Each beat of my heart was like a thunderclap against my ribs, and if I hadn't been petrified, every inch of me would've been shaking like a tree in a hurricane.

_God-fucking-damn it - PARALYSIS JUTSU IS CHEATING, BITCH! _I screamed internally.

Straining my eye, I saw Sasuke gripping a kunai so hard it trembled with the effort.

"I'm not what you'd call a patient person," the grass bitch hummed. "Would you like an incentive? Perhaps I should retrieve a piece of your friend-"

With sharp yell Sasuke plunged the kunai into his thigh. He straightened, and before the grass-nin could react, blew raging fire out of his mouth, lighting the whole clearing ablaze. The flames climbed up the surrounding trees in blinding, bright pillars, and I remained transfixed before a pain in my side drew my attention. _Sasuke?_ I regained control of my limbs and pelted after his dark form, retreating deeper into the forest as the bitch burned to ashes.

* * *

"What happens to Naruto?" I asked after I'd caught my breath and my heart stopped doing the samba. I could see the cogs working in Sasuke's brain. On the one hand, we couldn't afford to split up and start looking for him, on the other we needed him to finish the mission.

"If he wasn't such an idiot we wouldn't have to go look for him," he hissed.

"But since he is, we don't have a choice."

"Hika, we don't have the first clue where he might be!"

"He can't be far. The grass bitch must've been keeping him close."

"He _was_ her only bargaining chip…" he conceded.

"Exactly," I said. "Nice job wasting her, by the way." Sasuke gave me a curt nod as if to say "my pleasure". The thing made my stomach turn, but I swallowed and reminded myself: _It was her or us. This is Battle-fucking-Royale. We won't get out of this squeaky clean._

"Let's go," he said, standing up.

"Are we splitting up?" I asked, unable to keep the worry out of my voice.

"Fuck no," he replied quickly, before looking abashed. That made me smile. Maybe we were rubbing off on each other more than we liked to admit. And as annoying as Naruto was, we couldn't abandon him.

"Pick a direction," I grimaced, gesturing widely with both arms.

"Keep your chakra sense open," he advised, "and stay above ground." He leapt into the trees.

* * *

***casually posts five months after last update* What do you want? This is fanfiction. I'm a college student. Historically these two things do not mix well. Let me know if you want more updates, because I've been prioritizing work over story for a _while_ but now that winter break is coming up I could be persuaded to return to this.**


	13. Forest of Death Part 2

**Happy New Year! Your gift is a truckload of feels from yours truly.**

* * *

_How is she still alive?_

The grass-nin, not so much as a burn on her sleeve.

_How did she find us?_

The horrible smile.

_Why is she following us?_

The frozen feeling, already familiar to my weak limbs. That damned paralysis jutsu.

_Naruto, where are you?_ I felt an intense need to swallow, but my mouth was dry. _What did this bitch do to you?_

"So lovely to see you again," she crooned, voice vibrating the marrow in my bones. "Have you given any more thought to my offer?"

_We tried to burn you alive. Pretty sure _that _was our answer._

"We refuse," Sasuke spat.

"Now, now, are you sure? Perhaps this will change your mind," she replied. She bit a pasty finger and laid it down on the tree. A thunderous explosion of smoke.

_Summoning jutsu._

The cloud cleared to reveal a towering basilisk made of shit-brown scales the size of dinner plates, fangs as long as my legs.

I didn't want to look closer, but a spot of orange drew my gaze to its mouth. _Naruto!_

"Wouldn't you like him back?" she asked.

_Of course, you walking pile of androgynous shit, but we're not fucking negotiating._

Sasuke inched his hand towards his holster.

"Ah ah ah," she chided, making a sign. He froze again.

"Decision time, children."

It must have been the descriptor she used; he never liked people making fun of him. I felt an uncontrolled, sudden pulse of chakra, like a small bomb blast. All I saw was a black blur before the grass-nin flew into the air, chin snapped up by the force of a blow.

Sasuke moved faster than I could see - it was like the grass nin was spasming and bending of her own accord.

_It's his Sharingan._ I thought dumbly. The paralysis jutsu dissipated and I fell to my knees. _I'm coming, Naruto._ I looked up in time to see the giant snake swallow my friend. _Oh no you don't._

"Eat this, you scaly shi-" My hand, mid-slice, yanked back, pulled me down onto solid wood with a crackling in my ears. Wet flesh coiled around my wrist, I struck out at it, head buzzing. _Tongue? Is this her fucking _tongue_?!_

I heard Sasuke's cry of pain a split second before my body flew the air like a rag doll and slammed down again. My arm was dislocated. I could only tell because, of all the numbness in my body, my shoulder felt worst.

I smelled wet moss. Bleary eye open, I saw her feet.

The thin, snake of her tongue slid around my waist and rose me up to eye level.

"Poor thing, what's this?"

She pulled off my headband. Face exposed to the frigid forest air, her clammy hand brushed the scar tissue. If I had been lucid enough to form thoughts, I would have felt disgust on a level that surpassed Ino - that surpassed every terrible person I had ever had the misfortune to pass on the street. I could see her: this creature had been carefully constructed from the molds and mildews of the world's worst sewers, sculpted from swamp slime and given structure by a nameless malevolence, held up by a skeleton of solid, pathological cruelty. In other words, a walking landfill. And boy did she stink.

"How awful. To be so scarred at such a young age; to be so ugly and," she paused to select the word that would give me pangs of fear years after:

"_Asymmetrical_."

I watched her pry open my hand and hold up my kunai.

"Yes, that's it. Please, allow me to correct this gross _asymmetry_."

I didn't have time to comprehend what she was doing.

I had plenty of time to feel the pain and she sliced a clean line over my left eye.

* * *

As I came to understand later, Sasuke roused himself from semi-consciousness, cut Naruto free, and unleashed fire that burned a quarter of the forest black. He lasted a little under five minutes. Then it was Naruto's turn. He fared better, but not by much.

Our opponent had been Orochimaru.

That we weren't dead was more shameful than lucky. Hindsight is 20/20; it was easy to see, even for me, after the Chunin Exams were done. He tied strings to us and observed, watched us dance. Watched us suffer.

When I woke, the world was dark and I didn't know his name; didn't need to know it. Just needed to know where my friends had fallen, how much chakra I had, where we could take shelter.

I felt my pack. The scroll tucked there, safe and sound. Either he had forgotten to take it, or he simply didn't care. I didn't have the mental capacity to speculate. My headband was folded, nested next to it. Arms limp and shaking, I tied it around my head.

I pushed to my feet and felt around. I angled my body and rammed my shoulder into the massive tree trunk. It set. I screamed. I screamed again when I felt my eye. Then I couldn't stop.

Hundreds of seconds later, lungs squeezing, blood streaming down my face, I cast out a desperate thread of chakra.

It bounced off a heartbeat. Two trees away, a dozen meters down: a warm, steady pulse.

I had to get to it. Had to get to him. Groaning with effort, I stretched out my chakra in a veil and drew it tight over the trees. Saw and felt the leaves, the ridged bark, the unmistakable, fiery presence of a stuck-up Uchiha. And he was alive. _Alive_.

Breathing through the throbs in my eye sockets I made a desperate leap down. I felt like my heart got snagged in a branch as I fell, wind cutting brutal across my mutilated skin.

My ankles took the impact bad. No snap, no break, but more pain as I hit the tree feet-first. I rolled to my side and held on with chakra-laced fingers.

I fought for every inch, nails splitting.

Sasuke's shirt felt like heaven. Fingers twisted in his stupid, spiky hair, I buried my face in his chest and let myself sob once. Twice. Twelve times.

I dug my arm under his back and heaved up.

I fell hard to one knee. I stood again. Breathing through grit teeth, I cast my chakra out as sparingly as possible. I don't remember how long it took me to find Naruto. I don't know how I managed to look, how I knew he was still alive. I guess I didn't. But I looked longer than anyone else would have, rationing my chakra, waiting for it to replenish before casting it out again like a line.

At last, the line caught. He'd fallen to the ground.

I carried Sasuke fireman-style down, down, down, to the floor of the forest.

I collapsed next to Naruto.

I allowed myself a thirty second rest. I spat out a mouthful of blood and stood up.

One hand on each of their collars, I dragged them. Every meter stretched a mile, a pang in every joint with each step, and through it all the constant, insipid sting of the breeze on my eye. I could and couldn't see where we were going. The hollow of a tree, my chakra searching it like an army of snakes, just ahead. Always just ahead. Just a few more steps. A hundred steps, then fifty, then forty, thirty, fifteen, seven, then suddenly a presence at our backs. Three presences. Three too many. I slung Naruto and Sasuke under the tree and dove under.

I slid my hands together into "mi" and put them to the ground, fed the precious drops of chakra I had left into the soil.

A wall of dirt rose, slow and cool shadow falling over me, hopefully creating a sloping effect up the tree trunk.

I put my head to the ground. The darkness of the world faded into black sleep.

* * *

I didn't so much wake as I became conscious, pulled from black into gray like hooks in my eyes had pulled me out of cement. A heavy weight dropped into my stomach and exploded into panic. A hand pressed to my eye. All I could see were yellow pupils and pale skin, a memento printed inside my cloven eyelids. No anger, only debilitation. I could only feel weak.

I breathed, pushed my brimming chakra out in a gentle wave. Sasuke and Naruto were still alive, still in the same place and alive.

What happened next? Starvation, dehydration, or infection; all three if we'd caught Fortune on a bad day. If Fortune was getting over a hangover and felt particularly vindictive, someone would find us. We still had a scroll. _I have a scroll._ We'd die. Gaara and his team. The Oto-nin. The Grass-nin. Even the other Konoha teams wouldn't hesitate to attack.

"No," I said to myself. "No. No." A tiny, whiny mantra.

I'd think myself into a pit of despair if I stayed still. I needed to move. But I needed to be smart about it. I left the earth scroll behind.

I struggled to my feet and stuck my hands into the wall of dirt that shielded us from view. I dug myself out and pulsed my chakra; I wasted too much making sure the area was safe.

I didn't know what I was looking for, but I knew there were bushes. Where there were bushes there were berries. The berries would be food or poison. I was fine with either.

Step by searching step, hands readied before my chest, my fingers found leaves. Cold and smooth, with thin, prickled branches. I picked the bush clean, fingers dripping with blood and juice, and slid a handful of berries in my mouth without hesitation. Bitterness scrunched up my face and forced a groan out of my lungs. I nearly spit them out.

_Unripe blackberries. I hope._

A rustle south of my position, 30 degrees up - in the trees. No way to know if there was more than one without using chakra and I didn't want to draw attention to myself in case they had a good sensor.

"You!" A harsh voice commanded from above. "Stop! Who are you?"

I whipped around. "M-me?" I said in a small voice.

"Yes, you!"

"I'm," a minuscule pause as I read the man's chakra. Wind-type, with a secondary affinity for earth. Best guess was Suna. "I got separated from my team."

"Do I know you?"

"Are you from Suna?"

"Yes."

I knew him. It was the boy who'd been bullying Naruto's sidekicks - the guy with the face paint. I didn't remember his name. I hoped he'd forgotten me.

"Hey, didn't we have a disagreement in town?"

_Fuck._ "You the guy with the attitude? Yeah, I remember you."

"Are you stupid?"

"Maybe," I said.

"What'd you do with the scroll?"

I didn't respond, instead alighted on a stroke of rare clarity. "He took it."

"Who?"

"Who do you think?" I pointed at my eye.

"Just our fucking luck," he swore. "You can come out guys, she lost it."

The taps of sandals on wood heralded the arrival of two more people, his teammates I assumed. I extended my chakra and instantly regretted it.

The girl with wind chakra and strong posture rubbed me the wrong way. She was the blond with the giant fan.

Their teammate cast a large shadow and terrified me down to my bones. You don't forget a presence like his. If I recalled correctly, he was the one with "love" on his forehead. I snatched back my chakra to bolster my core. Despite my best efforts I started to shake.

"She's lying," Gaara rasped. He didn't sneer so much as he laced his words with poison. My stomach lining contracted and twisted.

"Gaara," the first guy said, "who would've left her alive and forgotten to take the scroll?"

"Are you disagreeing with me, Kankuro?"

I had to avert my eyes, like the threat drove spikes into my wound.

"No, of course not Gaara."

"Where is the scroll?" The words sent cold electricity down to my toes.

"I don't have it," I whispered. _Please go away. Please go away._

"Where is it?" he repeated, patience slipping.

"I-I-I don't-"

"Tell me!" The ground shifted under my feet and I sunk an inch into the dirt. I twisted around, throwing myself off balance - I was stuck. Tendrils of sand curled up my shins and tightened their grip.

"What are you doing?"

"Tell me now or you lose your legs!"

"It's back with my teammates!" I screamed.

Feeling returned to my legs and I crumpled to my knees.

"Go get it."

I ran, stumbling over roots and grassy knots, back to the hollow in the tree. I clawed through the dirt, reached through and grabbed the roll of paper. My feet pounded in tandem with my heart and I stopped. They'd come down to the ground.

"It's an earth scroll," Gaara said.

"We already have three earth scrolls," the girl said. I sighed a little in relief. "Gaara, we have a heaven scroll, too. Don't you think we should-"

"Hand it over," Gaara hissed.

I reeled in shock. "But you-"

"Hand it over."

"But why?"

It was ripped from my hand.

"Because now you have nothing," he replied.

"C'mon Gaara, she's blind, do we really need-"

"Kankuro," he growled.

Silence reigned. My body felt numb and sad.

"Maybe we could let her off with a warning-" the girl tried. She made it worse. His chakra roiled up in black waves, surging in a wide circumference around him.

"No, no, just take it and go, please, I'm sorry for lying, I'm so sorry, please just go," I whimpered. My eyes were starting to tear. Or maybe it was blood again.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

Something hard hit me square in the chest and sent me flying end over end. I felt nothing but air for a terrifying second, nothing solid under me, nothing but wind until the ground met my back; spine tingling; the air crushed out of my lungs; gasping like a fish on a mountain. I scrambled to my feet, hand over my stomach, trying to gather up chakra from my extremities. Ears pulsing and ringing. Someone shouting. I wondered if the three of them were fighting.

_Scroll. Get the scroll._

The scroll had a light chakra signature, like a wispy cloud. And there were five on the ground. Gaara had dropped his bag. He was distracted. He was ten paces away from it. I didn't ask how. I barreled towards it, dove, swept my arm around and grabbed two scrolls, prayed they were different. I tore back for the tree.

My foot went out from under me, yanked back. Sand around my ankle.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gaara's voice was different now. Deeper, scratchier, louder. "Sand burial!"

"TORA!" I screamed with the hand sign. My ankle broke free with an explosion of fire and I ran. I ran, ran, ran in the dark.

_Naruto. Sasuke. Naruto. Sa-_ I ran into a wall of thick, sick chakra and stopped. _-suke?_

"Get down."

I fell to the grass and felt my hair singe as he said, "FIRE STYLE: PHOENIX FLAME JUTSU!"

A rush of wind deflected the blast. I could almost see the orange light as it caught on the trees, started to crackle-

"Stop! You'll only make it worse, please!" the blond Suna shouted.

"He's dangerous. He needs to be destroyed." Sasuke sounded wrong. He was an emo, grudge-holding hardass. He wasn't this, whatever _this_ was. Vindictive? No. _Bloodthirsty._ He didn't seek out fights; he had too much pride to stoop to that.

_What the fuck is wrong with everyone? What the fuck kind of screening procedures are the examiners running? Where even _are _the examiners?_

"Sasuke, help me," I said, holding out my hand. It hung there for a good five seconds before he pulled me up. I put a hand on his shoulder for stability. There was a knot of twisted black where his jugular chakra node should have been. "Starting a fight won't get us anything but hurt."

"Go."

"Sasuke, your chakra's all wrong, you aren't thinking clearly-"

"Take care of Naruto. It's all you're good for, now."

My intestines clenched and tied in knots. My hand slid away. _Excuse me? _I gaped. It was the kind of command you'd give to a shitty dog. Venomous. Worse, condescending.

I pulled the dregs of chakra out of my toes and slapped him.

"You're not in your right mind, shitface, so I'll let that fucking pass," I said. I turned back to the three Suna, or at least where I thought they were. "Get out of here."

"What about him?" the girl asked, a little to my right.

"You take care of yours, we'll take care of ours. Go! Before this gets worse." They left, a snarling, conflicted Gaara over their shoulders. Clearly they were more afraid of a fight than losing their scroll.

Sasuke was doubled over. My chakra had disrupted his system; I could still feel it roiling in his veins, a little bit of blue in the midst of the black. I felt the muscle that connected his neck to his shoulder and struck with the edge of my hand. He dropped.

"Good thing I'm the diplomat of the group," I sighed. I took hold of his shirt and dragged him back to the tree.

"Hika," Naruto mumbled.

"Naruto!" I all but collapsed on him. "You're awake!"

"There was some noise," he said.

"It's over."

"H-holy shit - Hika, what happened to your eye?"

"I'm fine. Naruto, can you look at these? I need you to tell me if they're different. I know one of them is an earth scroll."

I held them out. A bottomless pause passed and Naruto huffed.

"Yes," he said, and I heard the shocked grin. "Holy crap, you did it!"

"I didn't do anything, just grabbed them out of Gaara's bag-"

"Gaara? He was here? Did he do that to your eye?"

"No, that was the grass bitch. It's fine, Gaara and his team are gone. We've gotta go, though, before anyone else finds us."

"Hika, are you sure you're okay? Your eye looks bad."

"Tell me."

"I dunno, it's all red and puffy around the bandage."

"Shit. If it's infected then we _really_ have to go."

Naruto opened the scrolls and read off the complete location of the tower.

"Help me with Sasuke," I said.


	14. Ino

We broke through the door, almost ripping it off its hinges. I didn't have any energy left to see the room. Naruto threaded his arm through mine and took some of my weight.

"Hey, we need some help over here!" he called. I heard a cluster of footsteps approach. Unfamiliar hands tugged me away with gentle, practiced motions. Judging by their silent coordination they were battlefield nurses. They whisked me to a room that smelled of disinfectant and fresh linen, laid me down, and started to examine me. I resigned myself to their ministrations and retreated inward.

* * *

The head nurse led me out once I'd stabilized. Not that I'd been unstable - it's just a shortcut way of saying, "You were worse and now you're slightly less worse."

I instantly liked the new room, spacious and full of familiar smells. Dog told me Hinata's team had made it. The vacuum of Gaara's chakra pulled at my own; I inwardly cursed his good luck. Tenten's rushed whispers to Lee. Ino's shampoo. The gentle tinkle of Oto-nin bells. Everyone we knew had made it, and even some we didn't know... Fucking fantastic.

"Hika." I turned towards Naruto's voice. "You doing alright?"

"Don't feel like I'm about to keel over and die, so yeah," I said. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Here," Sasuke said, words wavering with discontent.

With a rush of wind a quiet, fresh chakra appeared in front of us.

"Hika?" Kakashi said.

I took off my headband. "No worries. Orochi-fuckface decided to make me symmetrical."

Unflappable, 20-year veteran Kakashi Hatake gasped.

"I'm okay. Check Sasuke," I murmured, jerking my head to the disturbed presence on my left.

"I'm fine," Sasuke hissed.

"Sasuke, I did not get this," I thumbed my wound, "so you could fucking lie to the only person who can fucking help you."

"I'll call some kunoichi," Kakashi said. "They'll do what they can."

"I don't need-" Sasuke stopped and I assumed Kakashi had given him a warning look.

"Does it hurt?" Kakashi asked me.

"'Course it fucking hurts," I snapped. "Sorry."

"You're sure it was Orochimaru?" he asked.

"Naruto and Sasuke filled me in. He was posing as a grass-nin. Started bragging about himself after I went down, apparently."

"Hm. None of the grass ninja made it here."

"Sensei, I was scared shitless. I still am. I think… Sensei, I think he's still here," I said.

"What makes you say that?"

"Why leave when he can watch us run around with our thumbs up our asses?"

He huffed. "Glad to see he didn't dampen your spirits."

"I'm blind not dead," I said. "Sensei, who is this guy? He had a page in the bingo book, right?"

"He practically has his own chapter. He's also supposed to be dead, which is going to be a bit awkward for the publisher when this information gets out."

"So bottom line," Naruto said, voice shaking, "he's dangerous? More dangerous than Zabuza?"

"Yes," Kakashi affirmed. "He's one of the legendary sannin. Easily a rival to the Third Hokage. But why would he be here, at the chunin exams of all places?"

"Don't look at me," I said, hands up. "Look at Sasuke."

A dense pause.

"I suppose we should address the elephant in the room," Kakashi said.

"Hika should forfeit," Sasuke said. His bluntness stole the breath out of my chest.

"_Wow_. Fuck you. Just - fuck you."

"Hika," Kakashi began.

"No. I dragged your unconscious ass here, dickhead!"

A new presence made itself known by coughing. "Everything okay over here?"

Kakashi sighed. "We're fine, Hayate-sensei-"

"Hey buddy," Naruto piped up, "you know anything about the test?"

"I should, I'm the proctor," Hayate said.

"Great! Is Hika allowed to fight in the next round?" Naruto asked.

"Provided she's conscious and upright, she's actually required to, unless your team wants to forfeit," Hayate said.

"Great, that settles that," I said, aiming a glare in Sasuke's direction. Sasuke gave a sudden, pained grunt.

"Sasuke, come with me. _Now._" Kakashi's voice was grave. He wasn't taking "no" for an answer apparently, and they rushed away.

* * *

The next round was one-on-one fights. They'd pick us at random until half of us were left, then we'd break for two weeks to train for finals. I cycled through all the contestants' chakras. Most of the remaining members were heavy-hitters. My odds weren't good. I was about to take an enormous beating no matter who my opponent was.

I breathed and took comfort in Kakashi's calming presence at my side. I started to wrap my hands in tape.

"We will now select the first two contestants," the proctor called.

A pause as the digital meter ran. It stopped.

I felt the chakras of everyone around me relax. All but one. It made the bottom of my stomach disappear, and I could feel cold drip down to my feet. I knew.

"Ino Yamanaka and Hika Korin," the proctor coughed. I sucked air through my teeth. _Fucking hell, Buddha, you really aren't pulling your punches, are you? _I turned away from the railing and went to the staircase.

"Be careful, Hika," Kakashi said. "Ino has a special jutsu-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll be fine," I said. Step by step I descended, heartbeat accelerating, nausea rising. Could I counter her mind-transfer thing? Fuck no. But I always thought better under pressure; I'd improvise an ingenious plan or something. Maybe I'd finally figure out how to put Ino in her place.

* * *

"What are you doing there?"

I look up from my book. A pretty, blond girl with flowers in her hair is standing over me. I don't know her.

"You're sitting by yourself," she says, crossing her arms while she stares down at me.

"I can't read when there are other people around," I reply. I tilt my head and wonder why she's talking to me. Nobody ever talked to me.

"You do it all the time, though. You should talk to people more," she states. I feel my face go red.

"I don't really want to," I say. I wasn't afraid of people, I just liked books better.

"Everyone does, silly," she chides and tugs at my arm. I stand up and she gestures to my book - I shut it and press it close to my chest.

"You start with your name. Hi, I'm Ino Yamanaka."

"Hika Korin."

* * *

"I'm not gonna go any easier on you just because you're blind," she said. Twenty paces away.

"Oh fuck you, Ino." I assumed my stance. _I don't have any patience left to deal with your shit._

"What is with all the cursing? 24/7 it's f this, f that. You planning on becoming a sailor? You've got the face for it."

_Are you trying to make a joke? That's the worst insult I've ever heard._ I raised my eyebrows. "They say people who curse a lot experience less pain."

"We'll see about that." I heard a kunai unsheathe. She didn't move.

"You going to stand there all day, or what?" she said.

I spread my arms. "Lay it on me."

"Lay what?"

"Your jutsu. Take your best shot. I'm not moving, so you might as well."

"What?"

"Dump your soul in my head. Actually let me make it easier for you." I took several steps forward. "Wouldn't want you to miss."

* * *

I'm sitting in the meadow again, behind a tree. Ino and her posse are close by.

"She's a total dyke," she laughs, and the girls around her collapse into giggles.

I pretend not to hear her and force myself to keep reading.

"Hika," she calls, and I twist around involuntarily, "you're in _lurv_ with me, right?"

I force a smile. I stand up and go home to read. I'm not sure I like people anymore.

* * *

"You think you're so smart, don't you? You can't bait me."

"I'm not baiting you. Do it."

"You're up to something."

"Then do something about it, or this'll be very boring. You wouldn't want to disappoint everyone, would you?"

"Okay, if you aren't baiting me then what're you doing?"

"Mind Transfer Jutsu. I read up on it. You wanna get me to knock myself out? Or forfeit? Go ahead and try," I said.

"If you want to lose so bad just do it yourself."

"Nah. I want to see you work for it. You think you can survive even a second inside my head? Show me. Show everyone here." Y_ou think you can live inside my head for that long? Do it. Live in my hellish head, you bitch, and show us you're not a coward._

I stepped forward.

"Stay back!"

"Make me!" Forward another pace. "Fucking make me and see if you survive!" _You don't want to fucking live my life for one minute! I'm fourteen and some shitheads decided it would be funny to blind me. My life is a fucking ruin because everyone around is trying to kill me, and a few have almost won. My life isn't fucking fair. Think you can handle that, bitch?_

I was too angry to say the words out loud.

I didn't know what her face looked like but her heart was beating like a hummingbird. One thing I learned about Ino after all this time: she's all bark and no bite.

Her feet pounded out her quick approach. _Gotcha._ The smallest whoosh of an outstretched fist. I ducked and lashed out.

* * *

The gossip dies down after a while; everyone except Ino stops whispering about me. I try to convince myself that it's over, that nothing is left. That I will forget. That I can cut out the part of me that liked her, and the part of me that hated her, and let them both die. I convince myself that that is what "moving on" is supposed to feel like. "Moving on" is supposed to feel numb.

* * *

My fist found her perfectly-toned stomach with a crunch and a cough. I brought my elbow down on her back and shoved her away. She was seething now, sputtering out toothless curses. Ino was many things - a good taijutsu fighter was not one of them. She had one trump card. As a ninja, Ino was a failure. She just didn't know it yet.

"My life is a sack of shit, and I bet almost everyone in the room is the same," I said. "Everyone's got a story. The world isn't fair, Ino. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Her silence was answer enough. She heaved a breath and made a few ill-judged swings. I deflected, one by one by one, and flipped her on her back. I pressed my knee to her throat and held her arms down. If she wanted to, really wanted to, she could break free.

"Stay down or use your jutsu."

Bluffing is stupid and dangerous. It's also ridiculously easy to do if sections of your face aren't working. Your eyes can't be shifty if they don't work.

Ino hacked and spit in my face. I flinched and her fist wrenched free. Pain exploded in my jaw, rattling my teeth. Brain pulsing. Ears ringing. Floor moving - rushing up to meet my face.

Ino's high voice split the dizziness.

"Ninja art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

* * *

It was dark. But that wasn't saying much - most things are dark, nowadays.

This darkness was less literal. I felt heavy and foggy, like I wasn't all there, but what little of me there was weighed a ton.

I opened and shut my eyes to no effect.

_What the hell?_ I thought, unable to speak.

I felt like a mouse in a cathedral, a reduced consciousness in a huge, dark mind - a shadow of my former self. Emptiness pushed down on my shoulders. I sank to my knees.

_Fucking Ino. _I sighed inwardly.

"You're not going to lose!"

_That voice sounds familiar._

"Hika, snap out of it!"

_Naruto, what is it with you and yelling at unconscious people?_

"You can do it, Hika! I believe in you!"

Of all the corny things Naruto had ever said, this was the fucking corn maze of them all. In the misty dark, I had to smile.

"Come on, kick her out! I know you can!"

My arm suddenly rose of its own accord and panic surged in my throat. I locked my mouth shut and focused. Pulling myself out of the dark up a figurative staircase until my foot missed a step and my heart fell through the air.

* * *

My lungs filled with familiar, sweat-laced air and I bit down. She wasn't going to get any conciliatory words out of me. Ino's wheezing heralded the return of her spirit to her body.

Arm still raised, I folded my fingers into my fist and flipped her off.

"Nice try, bitch."

My fist sailed through the air and found her face.

The world spun, but I stayed standing.

"The winner is Hika Korin!" Hayate said.

"Piece of cake," I said and passed out.

* * *

**Yeah, I know I know it's been a while. Spoiler alert: I'm skipping the rest of the battles to make these easier to write. **


End file.
